Jalandhar: Jail inmate dies under mysterious circumstances, kin cry foul

Jalandhar, October 16

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The suspicious death of a 23-year-old jail inmate, Gurpreet Singh, has raised eyebrows. Singh, who had not been keeping well of late, was rushed to the Kapurthala Civil Hospital last night where he breathed his last.

Was held in theft case

Gurpreet Singh, a 23-year-old jail inmate, had been arrested in a theft case on October 5 with three other persons. He hadn’t been keeping well of late. The police claimed he was addicted to drugs. However, the mother of the deceased alleged Gurpreet was thrashed in remand, leaving him with fatal injuries. The police dismissed the allegation.

His family members have accused the personnel at the Jamsher police station in Jalandhar and a resident of Jamsher village, of framing Gurpreet in a theft case.

The mother of the deceased has alleged that police had thrashed Gurpreet while he was in two-day remand, leaving him with serious injuries all over his body, including his private parts. The Jalandhar police have, however, disputed the allegations.

Inspector Ajaib Singh of the Sadar police station, stated that Gurpreet had been arrested in a theft case on October 5 with three other persons. He said, “A stolen vehicle was seized from his possession. He also confessed to the police that he was addicted to drugs.” Gurpreet used to swipe vehicles to make money to purchase drugs, Ajaib added.

He added, “A panel of doctors was constituted at the Kapurthala Civil Hospital to conduct a medical examination. The report reveals that no such sign of an injury could be found.”

Hemant Sharma, Deputy Superintendent of the Kapurthala Modern Jail, said, “Gurpreet was shifted to the jail on October 7. He had not been keeping well for the past few days. He was later shifted to the jail hospital. His health deteriorated last night, and he was then rushed to the Civil Hospital where he unfortunately died.” He echoed Ajaib Singh’s claim that Gurpreet was a drug addict, and that no wounds or injuries have been found on his body.