Jammu, Aug 18: An alleged cross border narco smuggler died in police custody here on Thursday evoking strong protest from the family members.
 Though the police said that the detainee, Safru Ram, committed suicide inside a cell in Joint Interrogation Center (JIC), family members are suspecting foul play and even accused some senior police officers, for whom the deceased has worked as one of the `source in smuggling world’.
 Official sources said that Safru Ram was found hanging with a grill at JIC Miran Sahib, where he was facing investigation for allegedly running a cross border narco smuggling racket.
 “He used his trouser to hang himself with the window grill of the cell”, IGP Jammu Dilbhag Singh said adding, “He was breathing when noticed by the cops but died on way to the hospital.”
 Refuting any chances of killing, the IGP said there were around eight persons lodged in the same cell. “As all of them went to washroom after taking Sehri (morning meals) the deceased hanged himself”.
 His postmortem was later conducted by a Board of Doctors at Government Medical College Hospital Jammu.
 The district administration has also ordered a magisterial probe to look into the matter. “We are also holding an internal probe to ascertain the fact”, the IGP said.
 Ram was being subjected to sustained interrogation since August 12, when he was brought to the JIC.
 The alleged trans-border smuggler hailing from Akhnoor was arrested recently in smuggling of fake currency. Police said that it has recovered around Rs 6 lakh on his disclosure from various places in Jammu. This money, police said, was received by him through hawala.
 The family of the deceased, in the meanwhile, contested the police claim. They assembled at GMC and staged a protest against the police. The angry family members also smashed window screens of an ambulance. 

Lastupdate on : Thu, 18 Aug 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 18 Aug 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:00:00 IST