Post News Network
Khurda, Feb 15: A 32-year-old mentally-challenged person who was admitted to a de-addiction centre here Sunday died under mysterious circumstances Sunday.
Police seized the body of Sanjiv Kumar Das, a native of Nayapalli in Bhubaneswar, and detained a counsellor in this connection.
A case was registered with the police launching a probe into the matter. The body was handed over to the victim’s family after a post-mortem was conducted.
It is unclear why Sanjiv’s family admitted him to a de-addiction centre despite knowing he was mentally-challenged, police said.
Sanjiv’s relatives said they admitted him to the ‘Bharasa’ de-addiction centre December 24 and had paid Rs 12,000 for his “treatment” in two instalments.
Authorities at the centre called Sanjiv’s family Sunday morning and informed them that Sanjiv was unwell. When his family rushed to the district headquarters hospital where he was admitted, they found him dead on a bed, they said.
Sanjiv’s relatives alleged his body bore multiple injury marks, adding nobody from the de-addiction centre was present at the hospital to attend to him. They went on to say they suspected some workers of the centre of beating Sanjay to death.
Sanjiv’s brother Rajiv said his brother was mentally unstable but was not a drug addict. He said he spoke to Sanjiv for the last time December 27.
Based on the complaint of the family members, police detained counsellor Dhiren Sahu and are interrogating him. Other workers of the centre are absconding.
Dhiren pleaded innocence, saying Sanjiv sustained injuries after he slipped and fell in the bathroom.
“It was I who was looking after Sanjiv at the hospital, when police detained me. That’s why there was nobody to be seen at the hospital when his family came,” the counsellor said.
