A 36-year-old man from Kempatty Colony in Coimbatore died while in the custody of Big Bazaar Street Police late on Monday.
The deceased has been identified as K. Karthik.
The police had picked up Karthik from T.K. Market on Monday evening for alleged possession of ganja.
The police said the man developed fits and became unconscious around 9.15 p.m. when they were about to produce him before a magistrate.
He was rushed to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. Following this, his relatives thronged CMCH and alleged that he had died of custodial torture.
However, the police claimed that Karthik’s wife was called to the station before recording his arrest and he was not assaulted.
They added that the accused, who was earlier booked in at least 13 cases in various police stations, had the habit of injuring himself and pretending ill in police custody. He had also served a year in prison as a detainee under the Goondas Act. He had come out from prison recently.
The body was autopsied in the presence of Fifth Judicial Magistrate Iniya Karunagaran and handed over to the relatives, who had initially refused to accept it, the police said.