Tripura: Man involved in ATM Hacking Case Dies in Police Custody, CM Orders Inquiry

Agartala, January 12, 2020:

A 38-year-old man, identified as Sushnata Ghosh, who was an accused in an ATM skimming case, died in police custody at West Agartala Police Station in West Tripura district on Sunday morning.

The deceased was, reportedly, arrested from his residence after police came to know about his involvement in the case from Turkish and Bangladeshi conmen arrested in November 2019 for ATM cloning, officials said.

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Officer-in-charge of West Agartala Police Station, Subrata Chakraborty said that Sushanta owned an eatery at Ghoshpara village of Lankamura in West Tripura. He was sent on one day police remand on Saturday by a local Court.  “There are links between the international foreigners and him. We prayed for 10-day police custody but the Court granted one day police remand” said a cyber-cell official.

“Cyber-crime sleuths of Tripura Police picked up Sushanta from Lankamura, who had been repeatedly summoned by the police for investigation, he was sent to police custody yesterday. And, he was spotted hanging in the toilet attached to the lock-up room”, the OC informed.

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The police have ruled out any possibility of custodial torture as they have the CCTV footage featuring Sushanta entering the closet. “Though there are no cameras in the closet, our footage clearly shows him entering there and not coming back. He used the towel that are being provided to the people in custody”, OC Subrata Chakraborty explained.

“Since January 01, he has been summoned by police repeatedly. Two times, he has been interrogated at police headquarters. He has been called at cybercrime unit of the police too. But, police never disclose as to why he was being interrogated or what was his fault” claimed Sushanta’s sister, Moushumi.

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Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has ordered a magisterial inquiry on the issue and said that the “state government is very much strict with its stand in maintaining law and order situation of the state”. Sources said that three parallel inquiries will run on the particular matter — Police inquiry, human rights and magisterial inquiry. The deceased is left behind his wife and two children.

Earlier in November 2019, Cyber Crime Unit of Tripura Police Crime Branch had arrested four people comprising two Turkish nationals, Hakan Zanburkan, Fettah Aldemir and two Bangladeshi nationals, namely, Md. Hannan and Md Rafiqul Islam from Belgharia in West Bengal for skimming millions through ATM skimming and ATM card cloning. The police believe Sushanta provided logistic support for the fraud in Tripura.

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