Man found dead in lock-up at Cheranelloor

KOCHI: Shaheer Mohammad, 48, a native of Cheranelloor, who was detained by the police on the charge of attempt to murder his neighbour on Wednesday, was found dead in the  lock-up  at Cheranelloor on Thursday morning. Shaeer, who stabbed his neighbour Nadeer in an inebriated condition, was   lying unconscious near his house and the police took him into custody after being alerted by the local people around 7 p.m. Nadeer is recuperating at a  private hospital in the city.

The cops, who got Shaheer examined at the  Ernakulam general hospital, registered a case against him and  kept him in the  lock-up based on a statement by the stabbed victim, said Mr V. Sivakumar, sub-inspector, Cheranelloor. Shaheer  was found motionless  when the police examined him around 9.45 in the morning on Thursday. “We rushed him to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead,’ Mr Sivakumar said. The body was  kept at the mortuary of Ernakulum general hospital and the  cause of the death will be ascertained after a post-mortem.

Police said Shaheer, an alcoholic, had stabbed Nadeer twice  for interfering in his family affairs.   Official sources in Ernakulam general hospital said he suffered from diabetes and a bulged liver. “There were no injury marks on his body,”  they said. City Police Commissioner M.P.Dinesh said further action would be taken based on the post-mortem report. Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala has sought action against the police personnel  for the lock-up death.  “The incidents of custodial deaths are increasing after the present government came to power. Two such incidents were reported from Thalassery and Wandoor recently,” he said.