New Delhi, October 15
In a tragic and mysterious incident, two Punjab Police Assistant Sub Inspectors (ASIs) died by suicide after a juvenile accused in a murder case escaped from their custody. The case is raising more questions on their suspected suicide then the fleeing of the juvenile from police custody.
The17-year-old boy is an accused in a murder case along with 11 others and it was his second crime registered in Kapurthala police station.
The juvenile’s escape from police custody ended in the ‘death’ of two ASIs, who were responsible for escorting him to a juvenile home. It is suspected that the two ASIs died by suicide, possibly due to intense pressure and fear of repercussions of the juvenile’s escape from custody.
The escape incident took place on October 7, when ASIs Pritam Das (54) and Jeevan Lal (56) were taking two juveniles back to a juvenile home in Hoshiarpur after a court appearance in Kapurthala. When they reached Adampur in Jalandhar district, the juvenile in question allegedly escaped from the police vehicle. Both Das and Lal gave chase, but when they couldn’t trace him, they purportedly consumed poison at Adampur railway station, police stated.
The probe shows that ASI Pritam Das purchased one Celphos tablet, a highly toxic pesticide, from a store near Adampur railway station. After leaving the shop, ASI Das returned and asked for one more tablet, claiming his farmland required more. He purchased the tablets at around 4.50 pm. Later, at around 8.30 pm, Railway Station Master Naresh Raju discovered the bodies of the officers near one side of the station.
The police also found the CCTV footage that captured him at the medical store. The police are probing the case further
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