Facing a number of criminal cases, including murder, a 34-year-old undertrial on Friday died allegedly due to drug overdose in Hoshiarpur district jail. The deceased has been identified as Gurdev Singh.
Jail superintendent Ajmer Singh Rana said that Gurdev Singh of Khun Khun village might have procured the drug during the course of his court appearance in Dasuya three days ago. “He was admitted to the local civil hospital after he complained of uneasiness. On Thursday, he was discharged and sent back to the jail. He was also a drug addict,” said Rana.
Rana said that the inmates informed the jail staff on Friday that Gurdev had fallen unconscious. “We immediately referred him to the hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. Probably, he died of drug overdose,” he said.
He added that Gurdev was caught smuggling drugs into the jail on several occasions for which cases were registered against him.
At the same time, the Jail Superintendent has refuted that drugs were available within the jail premises. He claimed that he would write to his superiors asking for a probe into the role of employees who had escorted Gurdev on the day of his court appearance.