A Nepal native, who was among the two persons arrested on the charge of theft after sedating the residents of a house near Varkala, collapsed and died while being in police custody on Thursday.
The accused, Ramkumar, developed uneasiness when he was produced before a magistrate at the Varkala court by the Ayiroor police, along with the other accused Janak Shah, around 5 p.m.
While he was initially made to sit on a chair, he soon collapsed and turned unconscious. He was rushed to the Varkala taluk hospital where he was declared dead. The cause of death is yet to be known.
The duo were allegedly part of a five-member gang of Nepal natives that broke into the house at Hariharapuram late Tuesday. Three women, 74-year-old Sreedevi Amma, her daughter-in-law Deepa, and a home nurse Sindhu, resided in the house. Sokila, a Nepal native, who had been hired as a house maid two weeks ago, is suspected to have facilitated the crime by purportedly mixing sedatives in their food.
While the gang had attempted to decamp with nearly ₹35,000 and an undisclosed quantity of gold ornaments, their bid turned futile after Ramkumar who carried the bag containing the stolen goods got entangled in a barbed wire mesh while attempting to jump the compound wall. A group of neighbours who rushed to the house on being alerted by a relative of the residents found Janak Shah who was hiding. The other members of the gang, including Sokila, managed to flee from the scene.
While it is yet to be known whether the accused had been assaulted before or after being taken into custody by the police, the District Crime Branch is likely to investigate the circumstances leading to Ramkumar’s death.
Meanwhile, the investigation team has taken an autorickshaw driver into custody. The Ezhukone native is suspected to have transported the gang to the place of crime after picking them up from Kottiyam. It is yet to be ascertained whether he was part of the conspiracy.
