Rowdy dies while fleeing from cops, kin allege torture

A 28-year-old history-sheeter on Monday fell to his death while trying to escape from the police in DJ Halli. His relatives, however, alleged he died in police custody.

The deceased has been identified as P P Kaleem alias Pickpocket Kaleem. Recently, cases were registered for setting vehicles on fire in the area and Kaleem was also involved in the case, a senior police officer said.

On Monday, the police was informed about his presence in the area. They rushed to the spot and when they tried to catch him, he jumped a compound wall in a bid to escape and fell down. They rushed him to a nearby hospital but doctors declared him brought dead as he had suffered a severe injury to his chest.

However, his relatives allege that Kaleem was first taken into custody and was beaten up badly in the lock-up and that he succumbed to injuries. Later, the police cooked up an escape story. Additional commissioner (East) Seemanth Kumar Singh said following the allegation, the DCP is conducting a probe into the matter.