‘Custodial’ death at Surat station | Nigerian man was arrested twice in Mumbai for drug trafficking: GRP

According to Surat GRP, a passenger on board the train complained to the railway helpline ‘139’ on August 17 that a Nigerian national and another co-passenger were fighting over standing near one of the gates of the train.

The  Nigerian national allegedly sprayed a fire extinguisher on co-passengers during the scuffle when the train was between Vapi and Surat stations, police sources said.

He was subsequently detained at Surat and taken for questioning at the RPF office, where he collapsed. He was rushed to SMIMER Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

While the postmortem was held on August 18, its report was still awaited till Wednesday evening, the officials said.
Meanwhile, Surat GRP has registered a case of accidental death and started the probe.

Western Railway Superintendent of Police Abhay Soni told The Indian Express: “After primary investigations, it is believed that the deceased was a Nigerian national. When Surat RPF caught him, he didn’t have any of his identity cards with him. He lived in Vasai (Mumbai) and was arrested twice by Malwani and Malad police in Mumbai for drug (cocaine) trafficking cases in 2018.”

Stating that the purpose of his visit to Delhi was still under probe, Soni said the Nigerian boarded the Golden Temple Express from Borivali in Mumbai.

“We have started an inquiry. Statements from the police officials who caught him and those present at the police station will be taken. We are also waiting for the autopsy report. The investigation of the custodial death is being carried out by Deputy Superintendent of Police D H Gaur.”