A 24-year-old youth today allegedly died in police custody after being arrested in connection with a murder case here, with police claiming that he died after falling "ill".
The Nadia district police raided the house of Litan Biswas early this morning in connection with a murder case and took him into custody. An hour later, the police informed Biswas' family that he had died of "illness".
The police claimed that Biswas had fallen ill soon after being taken into a police car and fainted, after which he was rushed to the Ranaghat Sub-Divisional Hospital where he was declared brought dead.
However, the victim's brother's wife Sumati Biswas alleged that Litan was fit and fine when he was being taken into the police car around 3.30 am, and rubbished the police version of illness.
"The police took away Litan at around 3.30 am. They came back after half-an-hour without him, searched the rooms and returned. Just 30 minutes later, they informed us that Litan has died...The police has killed him," she alleged.
The body has been sent for autopsy.
On hearing the death, Litan's relatives, accompanied by local people, gathered at the Ranaghat Police station.
Nadia district SP Bhart Lal Meena and Additional SP Ajay Prasadh also rushed to Ranaghat.
