As police waits for the post-mortem report of a 33-year-old man who allegedly succumbed to his head injuries a few days ago in Thimphu, netizens are raising questions on cause of the death. While police claim that the deceased had jumped from the jail van and succumbed to his injuries, his family is suspicious of this assertion.
According to a news release by police, the Narcotics, Drugs and Other Vices Division conducted a coordinated midnight operation in Changbangdu following intelligence inputs on suspected late-night drug activity in the area.
During the operation, five individuals were apprehended.
According to police, on further interrogation, the deceased who is a repeat offender and previously served a five-year prison term for drug trafficking was found supplying drugs. He was then arrested from Jungzhina.
On 14th November, the police escorted him to Olakha to arrest an individual who was a supplier. The deceased, secured with handcuffs and placed in a jail van while returning to the Narcotics, Drugs and Other Vices Division office allegedly jumped from the moving vehicle.
According to police, the deceased kicked open the van door that was bolted securely from outside and jumped off, in an attempted escape.
Police said they heard a sound from the rear of the vehicle and, upon checking, realised that the deceased had escaped from the van by jumping off the moving car.
Police initially assumed he was attempting to flee, but moments later they saw passers by carrying the deceased from the road to the footpath.
Police said he was then transported to the national referral hospital.
However, Monika Powrel, the deceased’s 19-year-old wife raised several questions and suspicions on police’s claim.
“The police came around 12:45 and arrested Biren shortly after. He was kept in police custody until the evening of the 13th. But on the 14th, he was suddenly admitted to the hospital. When I saw him on the evening of the 13th, he was completely fine and had no injuries. But the next day, towards evening, I was told he was in the hospital.”
She further said the police provided her information that were inconsistent.
“When I asked the police what happened, they gave me different statements. First, they told me Biren had confessed that the drugs were his and that his drug test came out positive. Then they said that while he was being taken for a follow-up case, he tried to escape from the police van. They told me he broke open the van door and tumbled out, hitting his head while he was still in handcuffs.”
She added that police told her that there are no CCTV at the place where he jumped off.
“They said the location has no CCTV. Had they informed us of the location from the beginning, we would have been relieved to know where the accident occurred. However, they never told us. Whenever we asked, they would claim they didn’t know, and it was only at the very last moment that they finally explained the location, which raised our suspicions. Moreover, there were no scratch marks on my husband’s body, only an injury on the left side of his head, which appeared swollen rather than cut.”
BBS visited the area and confirmed that there was no CCTV installed at the site.
Police denies allegations that they provided inconsistent information to the deceased’s wife.
According to the death certificate, the deceased sustained a traumatic head injury. The cause of death has been officially declared as “blunt trauma”.
The family, currently in Tsirang for the deceased’s funeral rites, says they remain unconvinced.
A post-mortem examination has been conducted by the national referral hospital and results are awaited.
Police stated that the case will be forwarded to the court after full investigations are completed.
The post-mortem report and witnesses’ statement could play a crucial role in establishing the exact cause of the death.
Tashi Dekar
Edited by Tshering Zam
