Nagpur custodial death: CID takes over probe, post-mortem points to cardiac arrest
Doctors say a heart attack appears to be the main cause of death of a 28-year-old robbery suspect, but minor internal injuries were also found.
Doctors on Wednesday shared preliminary forensic findings in the death of Sumedh Rajendra Gajbhiye, 28, in Nagpur. According to these, the main cause of death appears to be a sudden heart attack. However, the medical examiners also found minor internal injuries on his body. The extent and nature of these injuries will be determined by the detailed final post-mortem report and the chemical analysis report.
Given the nature of the case, the Maharashtra State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has formally taken over the investigation. Additional Director General of Police (State CID) Sunil Ramanand confirmed this. He said the standard operating procedures for custodial death cases were being followed strictly. SP (CID) Abhijit Dharashivkar will directly supervise the ongoing investigation in Nagpur.
According to the police account, Gajbhiye, a resident of Narsala, was allegedly with an associate named Deepak Patil. Both are alleged to have entered the house of Usha Dharmik in Prithviraj Nagar, barely 500 metres from Beltarodi police station, posing as delivery agents. Gajbhiye allegedly threatened Dharmik with a knife and snatched her gold chain.
When the victim's family raised an alarm, people in the neighbourhood chased the two. Patil managed to escape, but a crowd surrounded Gajbhiye and allegedly beat him. A beat marshal on patrol rescued him and brought him to Beltarodi police station. Shortly after reaching the station, he complained of severe chest pain. He was immediately taken to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Nagpur, where doctors declared him dead at around 4.20 am on Tuesday.
More than 24 hours after the incident, police have not been able to trace "Deepak Patil". No criminal record or matching database entry under that name has been found. Investigators therefore suspect that Gajbhiye gave a false name before his death to protect his associate.
The CID probe will examine the entire sequence of events, including allegations of delay in treatment. It will also look at how much the assault and the heart attack each contributed to the death.
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