BENGALURU: The January 2023 death of Vijay Kumar in a hospital in Udupi, has remained a mystery and is yet to be recognised as a custodial death. Vijay Kumar, who was working as a bar supplier in Bengaluru, had been picked up by police for his alleged involvement in cricket betting. Investigating the circumstances surrounding his death, The New Indian Express uncovered the harrowing truth of brutal police interrogation, corruption and cover-up, with the officials involved getting away scot-free.
Vijay Kumar, known to be a hardworking man in his thirties from Udupi, had led a simple life until that fateful day on January 3, 2023. His world collapsed when officers from the Central Crime Branch, CCB, apprehended him for questioning, on the suspicion that he was the kingpin of an illegal cricket betting ring. What was to be a routine interrogation turned into a nightmare that would end in his death.
Isolated and subjected to police interrogation, Kumar’s condition rapidly deteriorated and he began foaming at the mouth. He was rushed to a multi-specialty hospital in Bengaluru. With mounting medical bills and no relief in sight, he was transferred to a private hospital in Udupi. For ten days, Kumar battled for life before succumbing to his injuries.
Investigation into Kumar’s story revealed some troubling details. The police, under pressure over the illegal betting racket during the 2022 ICC T-20 World Cup, particularly the explosive India-Pakistan match in October, were on a desperate hunt for the gang. Kumar became their scapegoat. Despite recovering only small amounts of cash, officers allegedly framed him as a major player in the betting racket. Following Kumar’s death, police allegedly picked up his girlfriend, a woman from Bangladesh, and hastily interrogated before she allegedly vanished, while his family was bribed and lied to, to keep them silent. Friends who knew Kumar as a diligent, dependable man were coerced into silence as police officers worked to bury the truth.