Man dies after hours after police interrogation in Chennai

Man, 25, dies hrs after being questioned by MGR Nagar police in theft case. Police deny any excesses. Sridhar had complained of chest pain, taken to hospital, declared 'brought dead'. Wife filed complaint, investigation underway.

A 25-year-old man died hours after being interrogated by police personnel of the MGR Nagar police station, in connection with a theft case. The police however have said that there were no excesses on their part when the suspect was being interrogated.

The man was identified as M. Sridhar of Pammal Nallathambi Street, MGR Nagar. He was working as a casual labourer with the Chennai Corporation. When the police were investigating a burglary case reported on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, under the MGR Nagar police limits, they found CCTV images showing Sridhar at the scene of occurrence.

Following this, police said Sridhar was called for enquiry on Thursday, July 13, 2023, to the police station. Initially, Sridhar did not appear for the inquiry, and instead, his wife arrived at the police station. Later, he came to the police station, accompanied by his wife, at around 12.30 p.m. After collecting his fingerprints and following a brief enquiry, the police inspector sent him home with his wife at 1.15pm.

While returning home, Sridhar complained of discomfort in chest and his wife took him to a nearby government hospital where the doctor who treated him discharged him after first aid, stating that the chest pain could be due to acidity. After reaching his house, Sridhar had a seizure and his family took him to the ESI hospital, K.K. Nagar where the doctors who examined him declared him ‘brought dead’, police said.

Later, his body was sent to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital for a post-mortem.

A senior police officer said, following a complaint from his wife, a case was registered, and an investigation was taken up as procedure, under section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code.