Haryana man dies in police custody

Jammu Tawi, Mar 29: A Haryana resident, who was among five accused recently arrested in a job fraud–extortion racket case, died after allegedly complaining of severe stomach pain while at a police station on Sunday, an official said.

The police have initiated inquest proceedings into the incident, and the district magistrate of Jammu has been requested to conduct a magisterial inquiry, police said in a statement here.

On Friday, the police claimed to have busted a job fraud-extortion racket by arresting five persons, recovering Rs 34 lakh and rescuing two victims from their captivity at a hotel in Kolkata.

Superintendent of Police Jammu city south Ajay Sharma stated that the group had lured unsuspecting youth with promises of securing jobs abroad, only to confine them and extort money from their families.

Parveen Kumar, a resident of Panipat, Haryana, was arrested in a case filed at the Gandhinagar Police Station in Jammu. After being shifted from Kolkata to the Gandhinagar police station on March 25, Kumar, who was on police remand, complained of severe stomach pain and was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the statement said.

    The police stated that Kumar, along with four others, had undergone a proper medical examination and transit remand before being placed in police custody. They were on remand till March 30.

    “Regular medical examinations of the accused were conducted, and all precautions were taken in the police custody,” the statement said, adding that the medical examination of the accused was conducted at the police hospital in Jammu as well.

    However, Kumar complained of severe pain later and was rushed to the government hospital in Gandhinagar, where doctors declared him dead, the police said.

A post-mortem examination is being conducted by a board of doctors at the Government Medical College in Jammu. The deceased’s family has been informed, the statement said, adding the post-mortem will take place in their presence along with an executive magistrate.

The police also stated that all CCTV footage and other evidence related to the case are being preserved.