Rape-accused undertrial prisoner found dead in suspicious circumstances in hospital

Indore, Dec 26 (PTI) A rape-accused undertrial prisoner was found dead in suspicious circumstances on Thursday at the government-run Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital (MYH) in Indore city of Madhya Pradesh, where he was undergoing treatment for hernia, an official said.

Police suspect that he committed suicide by hanging himself, the official said.

Central Jail Superintendent Alka Sonkar said Mahendra Prajapat (24) had undergone a hernia operation at the MYH on December 23, and was admitted to the prisoners' ward of the hospital.

As per the initial information, he was found unconscious in the bathroom of the prisoners' ward and doctors declared him dead after examination, she said.

Sonkar said the man was lodged in the central jail as an undertrial prisoner after his arrest in a rape case.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Tushar Singh said that considering the marks found on Prajapat's neck, it appears that he committed suicide by hanging himself. But what exactly happened will be known once the postmortem report comes out.

"We are questioning other prisoners admitted and doctors in the prisoners' ward in connection with Prajapat's death," he said.

All aspects related to the undertrial prisoner's death are being investigated, the ACP said.

A purported suicide note has been found near Prajapat, and investigation is on. PTI HWP MAS NP