Bhubaneswar, Apr 18 (PTI) A man, who was picked up by the police here in connection with a case of theft died allegedly in police custody and his wife has alleged that he was tortured in custody.

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The middle aged man, a vegetable vendor and father of four children, died on Sunday night.

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The man's wife said though he limped, he was healthy. “My husband died due to torture in the police station. He had no involvement in any theft case,” she alleged.

She said that her husband was picked up by the police when he was returning home from his in-law's house at Rasulgarh here on Sunday night and taken to the Badagada police station in connection with an allegation of stealing of a bicycle.

There was confusion about the man's identity as the police record said his name was Pradip Sahu, while his family claimed that it was Debendra Choudhury. His wife produced his Aadhar card to support her claim.

Police said that the man had sustained injuries while trying to escape from the police custody. He was caught and taken to Badagada police station where he complained of feeling ill and was taken to Capital Hospital. He died during treatment.

Bhubaneswar deputy commisioner of police U S Dash said “The deceased after being taken to the police station had confirmed that his name was Pradip Sahu. Pradip had a record of theft cases. As the incident took place in police custody, the inquest of the body is being done in the presence of a magistrate as per NHRC guidelines".

The man's wife said the police had come to their residence at around 1.30 am and asked her to reach the police outpost at the Capital Hospital. When she did, the police informed her about the death of her husband. "But they did not allow me to see his body,” she said.

There was controversy when another woman appeared at the hospital and claimed that the dead person was her husband and she be handed over the body. This woman, a mother of four children, also said that she does not know the woman who is his wife.

The matter is yet to be resolved.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)