A 31-year-old man, Alakunta Sampath, died while being in the custody of Cyber Crime police of Nizamabad, triggering protests from his family members who alleged that he died of police torture.
Denying the charges, the Nizamabad police said that Sampath was arrested in a case of human trafficking before being lodged in prison and was taken again into police custody for further interrogation. “He complained of chest pain around 10 pm and taken to local government hospital where he collapsed,” Nizamabad Assistant Commissioner of Police L. Raja Venkat Reddy said on Friday (March 14, 2025).
There were allegations that Sampath, who runs a manpower consultancy in Jagital, had lured unemployed persons to fly to Thailand, Miyanmar and Laos where they were forced by employers to indulge in cyber crimes. A person taken for ride in this manner, allegedly by Sampath, approached Cyber Crime police who registered a criminal case against him.
Based on the findings of the investigation, Sampath was arrested on March 4 and remanded in judicial custody. Investigators took him into police custody for two days on Wednesday. As part of the investigation, Cyber Crime police teams took him to Jagital for ascertaining facts on Thursday. Two mobiles were recovered from him during searches.
He was brought back to Nizamabad on Thursday night. Around 10 p.m., he reportedly complained of pain on left side of body. He was taken to local government hospital. “We have recorded video footage showing him walking to the doctor inside the hospital,” the ACP said. He stood in the line and around 10.25 p.m., he collapsed, according to the police.
Attempts were made to save him through CPR but he died. A case under section 196 of BNSS was registered. A request was made to the local judicial first class magistrate for inquest. Autopsy was performed by a team of doctors. The post-mortem examination was video-recorded.
Published – March 14, 2025 05:43 pm IST
