Asthana, who was a clerk at the Ghaziabad district court, died under mysterious circumstances in the Ghaziabad’s Dasna Jail on Saturday.
According to official sources here on Sunday, a magisterial probe has been ordered into Asthana’s death. The viscera of the deceased will also be sent for examination to ascertain if he had indeed died of poisoning as alleged by the family members, sources said.
Asthana, the prime accused in over Rs 20-crore PF scam, had been in the jail since January 2008 after the scam was unearthed.
He was found unconscious in cell on Saturday. The jail authorities claimed that Asthana suffered a massive heart attack as he was sweating a lot and was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced brought dead.
The family members alleged that he was poisoned by someone inside his cell. They also claimed that Ashutosh had a threat to his life due to the high profile case.
Published 18 October 2009, 18:40 IST