Ahmedabad: A suspected ‘serial killer‘ accused of 12 murders died following a seizure while in Sarkhej police station’s lockup on Sunday in Ahmedabad. This adds to several similar incidents in Gujarat where detainees have died from seizures, despite having no prior medical history of such conditions.
The deceased, Navalsinh Chavda (42), a witchdoctor, was arrested on Dec 1 while allegedly planning to murder a Sanand businessman.
Chavda, who lived in Vejalpur in city and hailed from Wadhwan in Surendranagar, allegedly attempted to deceive the businessman by offering to multiply his wealth through black magic.
Police had custody of Chavda until Dec 10 to investigate his occult activities and possible connection to four murders, including one in Aslali and three in Surendranagar. On Sunday, Chavda collapsed in custody. According to officials, he experienced a seizure in the washroom and his condition deteriorated while being transported to Sola Civil Hospital.
Sarkhej police inspector R K Dhulia stated that Chavda had no known illnesses but succumbed to a seizure. The post-mortem report determining the exact cause of death was pending.
On Nov 25, Darshan Chauhan (27), from Gomtipur, died after seizure in custody following his arrest during a police combing drive. His family contested the police version, claiming he died due to custodial torture. On Oct 11, Shivshankar Chaurasia (45), a gang rape suspect in Surat, died after experiencing discomfort and a seizure before reaching New Civil Hospital. His post-mortem revealed bodily injuries.
On Aug 3, 2023, Sandip Vekaria, 30, died at Saroli police station in Surat. He was detained for a traffic violation. Police reported that he experienced a seizure before death.
On June 30, 2022, Akhilesh Rai, 26, from Bihar, died in police custody in Vapi town of Valsad district, allegedly from a seizure. He was detained for suspicious behaviour in a residential area.
A senior police official suggested that attributing deaths to seizures could be a pattern to protect officers involved in suspicious custodial deaths. Sources indicated that no police personnel have been charged in any of these incidents.
