Accused Cop In Thoothukudi Custodial Deaths Case Dies Due To Coronavirus

A special sub-inspector, arrested in the Thoothukudi police custody violence case, died due to coronavirus at the Madurai government hospital In Tamil Nadu on Monday morning.

Pauldurai, the special SI, was one of the ten policemen arrested for the deaths of Jayaraj and his son Benicks after they died due to custodial violence at the Sattankulam police station in Thoothukudi district in June.

Shortly after his arrest on July 8 by the CB-CID, Pauldurai (56) was remanded to judicial custody and lodged in the Madurai Central prison. A few days later, he fell ill and was diagnosed with Covid-19 on July 24 after which he was admitted to the corona ward of the Madurai Rajaji Government Hospital. He was diabetic and also had hypertension, which made him more vulnerable to the coronavirus.

His wife had petitioned the Madurai Police Commissioner that her husband had been wrongly implicated in the case, since he had been only on a temporary posting at the Sattankulam police station and was not on duty when Jayaraj and Benicks were tortured at the station.

She also alleged that he was being denied proper treatment for Corona, which had endangered his life. She had sought his transfer to a private hospital and assured that the family would spend for the treatment. But the authorities had informed her that since he was a remand prisoner, she had to approach the court to transfer him to a private hospital.

Even as Pauldurai’s wife was planning to approach the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday, the news of his death reached the family early morning. In fact, four of the six member CBI team, now probing the case, had also tested positive for Corona and have recovered.