Two inmates commit suicide in Ambala Central Jail

AMBALA: Two inmates lodged in the Central Jail Ambala committed suicide in an isolation ward on jail campus Tuesday morning, said police.
The deceased have been identified as Ram Dass (35) of nearby Balana village and Sunil Kumar (34) of Saha village in the district.
Ambala jail superintendent Lakhbir Singh Brar said, "Both were kept at an isolation ward on jail campus as they recently came to the prison on June 7-8 night in a case of snatching. On Tuesday morning, they used bedsheets as a rope to commit suicide and took hanging on the ventilator window iron grills in the isolation lockup. The matter came to light in the morning when the jail officials conducted daily counting parade and two inmates were found absent. Following, they were searched and the duo was found hanging in the isolation lockup. A judicial probe is being conducted".
"Due to Covid-19, any inmate who comes to jail is quarantined for 14 days at an isolation lock-up before being shifted to the blocks. Similarly, both Sunil and Ram Dass were kept at the isolation ward where they together committed suicide," told SP Lakhbir Singh.
The jail officials intimated the Ambala police, which reached the spot with its scene of crime team and took the bodies into their custody for further inspection.
"The bodies of the deceased are kept in the mortuary at the civil hospital, Ambala City and their family members are also informed who have seen the bodies and scene of the crime. A judicial magistrate is conducting an enquiry into this incident and the post-mortem will be conducted by the board of doctors," told inspector Sunil Kumar, Baldev Nagar police station house officer (SHO).
"Deceased Sunil had two criminal cases against him of murder and snatching and he was convicted in a murder case and under trail in snatching while deceased Ram Dass had 10 criminal cases registered against him of theft and snatching and he was convicted in one theft case and under trail in the rest. Recently on June 6, both were arrested in a case of snatching registered under Section 379-B (punishment for snatching) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Baldev Nagar police station," said inspector Sunil.
"Their post-mortems are pending and would be conducted as per directions of a judicial magistrate before handing over their bodies to the family members," added Sunil.