Woman’s custodial death triggers flutter

Police commissioner orders inquiry

Hyderabad: The custodial death of a woman, accused in a case of theft, has created flutter among the city police. The Hyderabad police commissioner, M Mahender Reddy, while ordering an inquiry, suspended seven policemen of Asifnagar police station.

According to police, Nakkala Padma, 38, resident of Bhojraj Gutta was accused of her involvement in a theft case which took place near Apoorva Hospital in Ayodhyanagar on Friday. Based on CCTV footage, the police identified that her acquaintance Manjula had stolen the ornaments and deposited the same with Padma.

The police searched the premises of Padma’s house, but could not find the articles. They arrested Padma on Saturday, who died of ill health on the same day, while being shifted to Osmania General Hospital.

However, the way her body was shifted to the hospital raised doubts that she might have died during interrogation. However, her relatives maintained that her ill-health could be the cause of her death. They found fault with the way police arrested her, even though she was not directly involved in the theft.

Deputy Commissioner of Police South Zone V Satyanarayana explained that the policemen witnessed fits before her health condition deteriorated. He also held that the woman was addicted to adulterated toddy. “She was not ready to go to hospital, even as her sugar levels and pulse rate were dropping,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner, who has ordered probe suspended K Srikanth, Inspector of Asifnagar, P Hrushikesh, SI, SK Chand Basha, ASI, Mohd Nadar Ali, Head Constable and Constables S Prathap, Mohd Khaja and Md Manzoor Ahmed of the same police station for their ‘gross negligence’ and ‘dereliction of duty’.

“During the suspension period, the headquarters shall be City Armed Reserve (CAR) at Petlaburz and they shall not leave the headquarters without the prior permission of the Jt.CP.CAR Head Quarters,” he stated.