Man dies by suicide in police custody
Hours after arrest, a 25-year-old man died by suicide in Hatirjheel police custody yesterday.
The family alleged that police tried to frame Sumon Sheikh, a delivery person. They also tortured him, demanded bribe and that's why he died by suicide.
It also said police were negligent in keeping him safe and it won't receive the body until all cops involved were punished.
The incident sparked protests in front of the police station and the police had to resort to truncheon charge to disperse the agitating crowd.
The police refuted the allegations and showed journalists CCTV footage of Sumon dying by suicide inside the lockup.
Sumon was arrested at his East Rampura home around 4:30pm on Friday in a case filed for theft.
Talking to reporters, Tejgaon Division Deputy Commissioner HM Azmiul Haque said the deceased was accused in a case over theft of Tk 53 lakh from a company on August 15.
"We have recovered Tk 3.13 lakh from Sumon's home. After raids, he was brought to the police station around 11:30pm [on Friday] and kept in a separate lockup. At 3:32am, he hanged himself from the rod of the ventilator with his trousers, which was seen in the police station's CCTV [footage]," he said.
Hailing from Nawabganj, Sumon lived in Rampura with his wife Jannat Begum and six-year-old son.
Jannat alleged that police tortured her husband and tried to frame him and that's why he died by suicide.
She told The Daily Star that police planted the evidence and had demanded Tk 2 lakh bribe during the raid.
"I want the policemen involved in this incident punished," she added.
The DC said police arrested four people in the theft case. Sumon was one of them. He refuted the allegation of torture.
Sohel Ahmed, a relative of Sumon, told reporters that the family was informed about his death around noon yesterday. He claimed this happened due to the negligence of police. Had the police performed their duties properly, Sumon would not have died, he said.
The DC said two policemen -- Sub-inspector Hemayet Hossain and Constable Zakaria -- in charge of looking after the lockup, were suspended over negligence in duty.
Sumon's body was taken to Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.
Sujon Sheikh, a relative of the deceased, told The Daily Star that they would not receive the body until the officer-in-charge of the police station and others involved were suspended.
A three-member probe body led by Tejgaon Industrial Zone Additional Deputy Commissioner Hafiz Al Faruk was formed and given seven days to probe the incident.
According to rights group Ain o Salish Kendra, this year nine people died in the custody of law enforcement agencies until July.
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