Cumilla: Police today claimed that arrested drug trader Sheikh Jewel, aged 45, died of chest pain at a local health complex last night.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Cumilla stated that Sheikh Jewel was admitted to Muradnagar Upazila Health Complex after experiencing chest pain following his arrest. Jewel was detained alongside four others at the residence of one Helal in Uttarpara of Bangra police station, with yaba tablets reportedly found in their possession.
The SP detailed that Jewel was admitted to the hospital shortly after complaining of chest pain around 8 pm while in police custody. The doctor on duty at the health complex declared him dead by approximately 8:50 pm.
The SP referenced Jewel's family, noting that Jewel had been suffering from cardiac issues for a long time and had previously endured another cardiac arrest. The SP firmly dismissed reports from some media outlets suggesting Jewel's death resulted from police torture, labeling them as baseless and false.
The SP disclosed that a postmortem has been conducted on the deceased, and the forthcoming report is expected to reveal the precise cause of death. He urged media outlets to withhold any further reporting until the postmortem findings are available.
In addition to Sheikh Jewel, four individuals were arrested: Helal (41), Sharmin alias Sakhina (35), Hannan (21), and Khokon (45). Police have filed a case against these individuals under the Narcotics Control Act 2018 for possession of illegal drugs.