Man attempts suicide while in police custody

A 29-year-old businessman, who was taken into custody by the city police at the Cubbon Park station, attempted suicide by consuming an overdose of gastric medications on February 28.

Akshay Kumar, a resident of RR Nagar, was taken into custody in a cheating case, registered in 2016, the police said.

Prashanth, a police constable deployed for Kumar’s security, later filed a complaint, based on which a case was registered against Kumar under Section 309 (attempt to suicide), and the police are investigating further.

The police said Kumar was involved in the cheating case in 2016 and remained absconding for a long time. In the meantime, he obtained bail, but the police objected. Following cancellation of his bail, Kumar was recently arrested and produced before the 4th Additional Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Court. He was taken into six days’ police custody. While in custody, Kumar started complaining of stomach pain and constable Prashanth took him for a medical examination, where the doctor prescribed him PAN-40 gastric (antacid) tablets.

On Thursday afternoon, Prashanth gave Kumar — who was at the Cubbon Park station — the tablets, to be taken before lunch. When Prashanth went out to get water, Kumar tore off nearly 10 tablets from the strip and swallowed them hurriedly. He screamed at everyone in the station that he was attempting suicide due to police harassment.

The police rushed him to Bowring Hospital and later to Victoria Hospital, where doctors declared him to be out of danger. They washed his stomach and sent him back to the station, where the constable filed a complaint against him for attempting suicide. An inquiry has been ordered to ascertain if there are lapses in the way the police handled Kumar.