The Crime Branch has taken over the investigation into the alleged suicide of a person while in custody in the Fort police station here late on Sunday.
Ansari, 38, of Karimadom colony, who was detained on suspicion of stealing a mobile phone from a tea-shop in East Fort, was found hanging in a toilet in the police station shortly after he was detained by around 5.30 p.m.
According to official sources, he was asked to sit in the Child Friendly Janamaithri Kendram building in the compound of the police station to prevent crowding in the lock-up to adhere to the COVID-19 protocol. While two home guards were tasked with monitoring his movements, two of Ansari’s acquaintances who came to file a complaint in another case were incidentally present in the same building at the time.
By around 9 p.m., Ansari allegedly borrowed a cigarette from one of them and went to the toilet in the Janamaithri building. Sensing something was amiss, a few police officers broke open the toilet only to find Ansari hanging by his dhoti from the ceiling, sources said. He was later confirmed dead at the General Hospital.
With Ansari’s relatives alleging foul play, City Police Commissioner Balram Kumar Upadhyay entrusted Assistant Commissioner, District Crime Branch, M.K. Zulfiquer with conducting a probe into the unnatural death. The failure of the police to record details of Ansari’s detention in the general diary maintained at the Fort police station has come under scrutiny. Besides, the police had not registered a case for the alleged theft, citing they had not received a written complaint.
No bruises
While Ansari’s relatives alleged that he had been manhandled, an inquest conducted under the supervision of a magistrate found no bruises on the body of the deceased. While a preliminary probe pointed to the possibility of a suicide, the results of the post-mortem examination is awaited to ascertain the actual cause of death, a senior officer said. The deceased was a habitual offender who was accused in at least five cases and a child abuse case.
Meanwhile, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission registered a suo moto case in connection with the incident. Commission chairman Antony Dominic directed the Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner to undertake a comprehensive probe and submit a report within three weeks.
(Suicide prevention helpline: DISHA - 1056, 0471-2552056)