JAMMU, OCT 4: A 36-year-old Pakistani undertrial prisoner died under suspected suicide circumstances inside the high-security Central Jail at Kot Bhalwal in Jammu on Sunday, prompting an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death.
The deceased has been identified as Shahid Imran, a resident of Sargodha in Pakistan’s Punjab province. According to officials, Imran had been arrested near the International Border in the Makwal sector of Jammu in October 2024 and was subsequently lodged in Kot Bhalwal jail.
Officials said the prisoner, who was reportedly suffering from a mental health condition, was found unconscious inside his cell. Following the discovery, jail authorities immediately shifted him to Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital, Jammu, where doctors declared him dead.
Hospital sources said a ligature mark was found around his neck, a finding that has contributed to the preliminary suspicion of suicide. However, the exact cause and circumstances of death will be established through the postmortem examination and the ongoing official inquiry. The body has been shifted to the mortuary for medico-legal formalities.
The incident has prompted authorities to examine the circumstances inside the prison and the events preceding the discovery of the prisoner in an unconscious condition. Investigators are expected to verify the sequence of events and determine how the incident occurred while the prisoner was in custody.
The case assumes particular significance as Imran was a Pakistani national arrested near the International Border and was facing undertrial proceedings in India. Officials, however, have so far described the death as a suspected suicide, with the final cause awaiting the outcome of the postmortem and inquiry.
Further developments are expected after completion of the postmortem examination and the preliminary inquiry into the custodial death.
