Dalbir Singh was taken to the loo on the second floor from where he allegedly tried to escape.
A 54-year-old man in police custody died after he allegedly jumped off the second floor of a police station in Delhi, a senior officer said. His family, however, alleges that he was brutally thrashed in custody and the cops who had arrested him demanded money for his release. The post-mortem report is awaited but based on an inquiry, a sub-inspector and a constable stationed at the Naraina police station in south-west Delhi have been suspended.
Dalbir Singh was arrested when he was reportedly trying to get medicines from Army Base hospital using fake prescription. He also carried fake medical documents, police said. A case of cheating was registered against him, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), West, Vijay Kumar.
Mr Singh was produced in the Patiala House Court on Wednesday where he was sent to one-day police custody. After he was taken to the Naraina police station, he wanted to use the restroom. A constable accompanied him to the washroom on the second floor. Mr Singh then allegedly locked him in the adjacent room and "escaped".
DCP Kumar said they found him lying unconscious on the ground floor. He was rushed to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital where he was declared brought dead.
But Mr Singh's family alleges he was beaten up and thrown off the building. "My father went missing on Tuesday. We received a call from the police at 9.30 pm that a case has been registered against him," Vijay Singh, Mr Singh's son, told news agency ANI.
He added, "Later, police made several calls asking for money. The last call was from my father at 6 pm who asked me to come soon. I reached the police station at 6.30 pm, but the gates were locked and no one received calls on that number. At 9.30 pm, the investigation officer (IO) of the case told me that my father fell down from the building."
The DCP said that a public grievance inquiry has been initiated to ascertain the circumstances of his death.