Five days on, inmate booked for killing friend

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana June 16

Almost five days after an inmate was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the bathroom of Ludhiana Central Jail, the Jail Department has registered an FIR against another inmate on murder charge.

As per the information, both inmates were arrested by the Ludhiana police on June 1 in a theft case. They were residents of Islam Ganj and were part of the same gang.

Since both of them were minors, they were initially lodged in Borstal Jail, but due to their addiction to drugs, they were undergoing treatment at a drug de-addiction centre in the Ludhiana Central Jail.

Jail Superintendent Shamsher Singh Boparai said both inmates were living in barrack no. 4 of the drug de-addiction centre. On June 11, both of them scuffled over a minor issue and later, one of them murdered the other. When the deceased went to answer nature’s call in bathroom no. 5, his friend with whom he had an argument, also went behind and pushed him towards the wall. As a result, he suffered serious head injury. However, he was half-conscious and fell on the ground. But his friend strangled him by using his T-shirt, he revealed.

Initially, the police had initiated proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPc. However, a day after his death, doctors, in the medical examination, declared strangulation as the cause of death.

“When we started the probe, we interrogated some suspects, when one of the suspects confessed to having committed the crime,” he said.

Additional DCP Rajvir Singh Boparai, when asked about the development, said: “We cannot say anything about the case as to why an inmate killed another and how he killed him. However, we have registered an FIR on the intimation of the Jail Department. We can disclose the cause of death only after interrogating the accused. We will bring him on production warrant.” Rajvir said.

How ‘friend’ turned foe

Both inmates were part of the same gang. Once, they committed a burglary and fought over the distribution of stolen valuables. Then, the deceased had grievously injured the accused by hitting him on his head with some edged weapon. Interestingly, then the deceased had himself taken the accused to the hospital. However, the accused was still revengeful, due to which he “murdered” his fellow in the jail.