Deceased was accused of rape: Undertrial hangs himself inside toilet at Thane Central Prison

According to an officer, the undertrial, identified as Aashit Maranwar (22), was found hanging by his t-shirt from an iron rod in a toilet in barrack no 7, Thane Central Prison, around 2.30 am on Saturday. “As per preliminary information, Maranwar returned to his barrack around 11.30 pm. Around 2 pm, he left to go to the toilet,” said the officer.

Later, an inmate went to the toilet and found him hanging. “We have sent his (Maranwar’s) body to the JJ Hospital for post-mortem, to get clarity on the cause of death and rule out any foul play,” he added.

As of now, the officer said, we have filed an accidental death report. Further action will be taken after receiving the post-mortem report, he added.

Maranwar was arrested by the Waliv police on July 14 in connection with the rape of a 17-year-old girl. He was booked on charges of rape and under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

We will record the statements of his fellow inmates, to find out if something was troubling him, said the officer.

In the case for which Maranwar was arrested, police said, the victim was heading home from classes when Maranwar and five others, one of whom was the girl’s friend, came in a car and offered her a lift. The accused gave her a spiked drink, after which they allegedly raped her. Since their arrest on July 19, the accused have been lodged at the Thane prison.

A similar case of suicide was reported at the Thane Central Prison in September 2016, when Sirajali Shaikh (27), arrested by Samta Nagar police in connection with a rape case, committed suicide on the jail premises.

The Maharashtra jail administration has been facing controversies ever since Manjula Shetye, an inmate at the Byculla prison, was allegedly murdered by the jail staff in June. This led to rioting in the prison premises by inmates. An FIR was later registered and six women inmates, who allegedly beat up Shetye to death over an argument, were arrested.

Earlier this week, the prison department was under fire again after two inmates of Kalyan jail climbed the boundary wall and escaped. The duo are still on the run.