Teenager hangs self inside Baghmara police station
TURA: In a case of custodial death, a 19-year-old caught by villagers with a stolen motorcycle and handed over to police in Baghmara was found hanging inside the police lock up early Sunday morning.
This is the third custodial death to have taken place in Garo Hills, this year, after the high profile case of 20-year-old Balsran Marak who died in Tura after being shifted from the district jail in a serious condition with allegations of police brutality and that of 35-year-old Witson M Sangma who passed away in Chokpot police lock up due to lack of medical aid for a serious case of hypertension which failed to be taken into account at the time of his arrest and subsequent medical examination.
Villagers of Jaksomram, near Baghmara, caught 19-year-old Senemen S Marak on Saturday night with a stolen motorcycle which he was reportedly attempting to smuggle across into neighbouring Bangladesh.
The motorcycle had been stolen sometime back from Williamnagar and a case had been registered.
The accused, who hailed from Rongtok village under Shallang police station in West Khasi Hills, was caught and handed over to Baghmara police the same night.
Unfortunately, he was found hanging inside his cell by another inmate who raised an alarm early Sunday morning.
He is said to have used the ends of a blanket as a rope to commit suicide.
“The victim was caught by villagers while attempting to steal another motorcycle from the village. He was handed over to us along with a two wheeler registered stolen from Williamnagar. Another inmate inside the cell who had been kept inside for the night in connection with a domestic problem raised the alarm at around 5 AM after waking up to sounds of gasping and seeing the body hanging inside,” informed district police chief Lakador Syiem.
He informed that the night duty sentry had checked on the two inmates at 4 AM and found one asleep while the teenager remained awake and seated on the ground.
“The other inmate has said that the teenager did not sleep the whole night and kept pacing up and down the cell. He fell asleep towards the early morning part but was woken up by sounds of someone gasping for air. By the time he raised the alarm it was too late,” informed the police chief.
A post-mortem of the body is due to take place on Monday morning.