Custodial death sparks off row

District police superintendent Suresh Khopade who visited Dehu Road police station said that Harishchandra died while being taken to the hospital after he developed severe chest pain.

Harishchandra’s brother Dilip Gaikwad however alleged that his brother died of severe thrashing by the police.

The marks on the body, according to an inspection report of the taluka executive magistrate, included scratches on the left cheek, marks of blood-clotting below the right ear, scratch marks on the left shoulder and two marks of blood-clotting on the right hand wrist. The body also had black and blue marks of blood-clotting, the report said.

The post-mortem report from the Talegaon general hospital was awaited. The police meanwhile have registered a case of accidental death. Further investigations have been handed over to the CID.

The police had arrested Harishchandra in connection with a major theft at the Ratnadeep Jewellry shop at Chikhli which took place between July 22 and 23. According to the complaint filed by the owner Dalpat Tukaram Choudhary, gold and silver ornaments and cash of Rs 1.36 lakh were taken away. The police had taken help of a dog squad to detect the thieves and during investigations last Thursday, the squad stopped at a locked room at Jadhav Vasti.

According to the police, Vitthal Jadhav who had rented the room opened the locks and as the dogs entered the room they gripped a trouser kept on a hanger. The police were told that the room belonged to Harishchandra. The police then began a search for Harishchandra and he was nabbed in Akurdi. The Dehu Road police arrested him on Friday evening and he was taken for medical examination on Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, Harishchandra’s brother Dilip was informed about his brother’s arrest. Harishchandra was later moved to the court at Vadgaon Maval which granted a four-day custody.

“During interrogations Harishchandra admitted that he had committed the theft as he owed a huge debt. However, he did not give any information about the stolen goods,” stated Popat Devne, assistant police inspector, Dehu Road police station, in a statement issued here today.

Devne said Harishchandra gave conflicting information about the goods saying he had hidden them near a tree at Dighi on Alandi Road and also near Karla and later said that he had kept the goods at Bibwewadi. He also claimed that he had kept the goods with his brother-in-law residing at Kalamboli in New Mumbai.

During interrogations, Devne stated, Harishchandra suddenly developed a severe chest pain and he was rushed to the cantonment hospital.

Harishchandra, who was engaged in the business of computer peripherals, was reportedly debt-trapped for nearly one month.

Murder: An unidentified youth was found murdered at the gliding centre at the NDA on Sunday morning. He was stoned to death by some unidentified person. The motive behind the murder and the identity of the youth are yet to be ascertained, police said. A police team from Kothrud who received the information about the murder rushed to the spot at around 10 a.m.