Murder accused dies by suicide in Jabalpur jail

A 60-year-old murder accused allegedly committed suicide inside a jail in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur city on Monday morning, an official said. The incident occurred around 8 am in the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Central Jail after the undertrial prisoner, Guddu alias Raja Vishwakarma, had his breakfast. He allegedly hanged himself using a towel in the bathroom of a hospital ward in the prison where he was being treated, jail superintendent Akhilesh Tomar told PTI. Prima facie, family discord is believed to have triggered the extreme step. He had spoken to his relatives over the phone two days ago, the official said. The prisoner was in a hospital barrack on the second floor of the jail building. He went to the ground floor for breakfast at the dining place and after returning, he allegedly took his own life, the official said. Upon receiving information, doctors rushed to the scene, but the prisoner had already died, he said. Vishwakarma, a local resident, was suffering from diabetes and a liver ailment and had been lodged in jail for two years. A jail warrant was issued against him on August 16, 2024. He faced a murder charge and was being tried for it, the official said. A magisterial probe has been initiated into the incident and the family of the deceased has been informed, he said.