The Independent Investigative Directorate (Ipid) has confirmed it is looking into the death of a man who was found hanging in a police holding cell in Durban.
The 25-year-old was taken to the Inanda Police Station after being handcuffed for allegedly refusing to wear a mask on Tuesday afternoon, 7 September 2021.
“The man got very rude and wanted to fight the officers. The officers managed to get him into a temporary cell to process him for refusing to wear a mask and for causing a disturbance inside the police station,” said Ipid spokesperson Grace Langa.
Officers then went to check on the man and found him hanging by his belt. A medical team that was called to the scene then declared him dead.
Ipid: Suspect claimed family wanted to kill him
Ipid added that not only did the suspect appear to be under the influence of alcohol, but also claimed his family members wanted to kill him.
“The man was shouting that his family wanted to kill him. He claimed that they assaulted him and was bleeding from his finger. He was incoherent and police could not interview him,”
The suspect had been alone in his cell.
This incident comes a week after a man arrested for rape was found hanging in his cell in Grabouw, the Western Cape.
While Ipid said the matter was being probed, all indications pointed to the suspect having taken his own life. He had reportedly appeared in court just days before where his case was remanded.
“It’s suspected that he used his red underwear lace to hang himself. It is also suspected that he attempted to hang himself with a blue shoelace as a broken piece of it was hanging next to the red underwear,” Ipid said at the time.
In another incident, a suspect had allegedly managed to grab a firearm out of a bag and shoot himself while he was partially handcuffed to a chair in Makapanstad in North West.
from The South African https://ift.tt/3h96dZ2
