PUNE, 26 February 2005 — The mysterious death of a young police officer accused in the Rs.800 million fake stamp scam yesterday in the high security Yerawada Central Prison here, has raised many a suspicious eyebrow.
While the autopsy report highlights the injuries found on the body of the deceased, jail inmates have alleged foul play and gone on hunger strike.
The 35-year-old sub-inspector, Pratap Kakade, was arrested in October 2003 for his alleged role in the scam and lodged as an under-trial prisoner in the central jail. Kakade had complained of chest pain on Tuesday midnight, and at 1 a.m. on Wednesday, a jail doctor was summoned by the jail guards to treat him. The doctor administered a dose of sorbitrate tablet, which had no effect. He was then rushed to the government-run Sassoon General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Though the police were tight-lipped about the possible cause of death, the post-mortem report stated that Kakade had multiple injuries under the neck and chest anterior. Based on the post-mortem findings, several questions are being asked as to how Kakade incurred the injuries, who assaulted him and whether a conspiracy was hatched to silence him.
Senior Police Inspector of Yerawada Police Station, Anees Kazi told Arab News that the police have filed a case of accidental death and further investigations are in progress.
