Gurugram, March 19 A 35-year-old convict, serving a life sentence for raping a teenager at Bhondsi Jail in Gurugram, died on Wednesday night, police said on Thursday.
His health deteriorated after taking medication, and he was rushed to the civil hospital, where he died during treatment. Doctors suspect the cause of death to be drug overdose or a heart attack, they added.
A senior police officer said the body has been taken to the mortuary, and his family has been informed. A post-mortem will be conducted by a panel of doctors under the supervision of a magistrate after the family members arrive.
A magisterial inquiry is being conducted into the prisoner's death, he added.
According to jail authorities, the deceased prisoner was identified as Bharat Patel, a native of Panna district in Madhya Pradesh. He worked as a daily wage labourer in Gurugram and got married in 2013 and has an 11-year-old son.
An FIR under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was registered against Patel at the Bhondsi police station on August 10, 2022, after he was accused of raping a teenager.
He was arrested, and a local court sentenced him to life imprisonment about six months ago. Since then, he has been serving his sentence at the Bhondsi jail, police said.
According to the police, on Wednesday evening, his health suddenly deteriorated after taking medication. He was taken to the jail dispensary, and due to his critical condition, he was transferred to the civil hospital, where he died during treatment.
"According to the doctors, the suspected cause of death is a heart attack or drug overdose, but it will only be clear after the post-mortem," the senior officer said.