Ghaziabad custodial death: 12 ante-mortem injuries, says report

The autopsy conducted on a suspected auto lifter who allegedly died in police custody revealed 12 ante-mortem injuries even as his kin accused police of offering them Rs.15 lakh as bribe to withdraw their complaint.

Mohammad Shakeel's body bore abrasions on the back, legs and arms, the report stated.

The family's counsel said residents of Dasna in Ghaziabad, where Shakeel lived, would go to Lucknow to apprise Samajawadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav about the police's atrocities.

"The autopsy on Shakeel's body found ante-mortem injuries on him. He also had tuberculosis," Uttar Pradesh Deputy Inspector General of Police K. Satyanarayan had said Sunday.

A departmental inquiry has been ordered against all eight policemen following the death of Mohammad Shakeel Friday night, police had said Saturday.

The death, which the victim's father alleged occurred due to torture, took place at the Kavi Nagar police station, according to one account.

Police sources, however, said that Shakeel succumbed to injuries sustained earlier while being treated at a hospital in Ghaziabad.

Police said that after he confessed to stealing some vehicles, it was decided to take Shakeel to Ferozabad to recover the vehicles. On the way, he reportedly complained of chest pain and vomitted.

On a complaint by Shakeel's father Mohammad Khaleel, a case was registered against the eight police personnel.

Khaleel accused police of torturing his son for two days and of taking away his mobile phone and Rs.61,000 in cash.