Mumbai blasts suspect dies after questioning

7-17-11 A 39-year-old man, Faiz Ahmed Aziz Usmani, who was summoned to the Mumbai crime branch office in Chembur for questioning in connection with last week’s triple blasts, died at midnight on Saturday. His brother is an alleged terrorist, an accused in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts, which killed at least 50 people.

The state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been asked to investigate the death.

The three bomb blasts that rocked the island city on the evening of July 13 have so far claimed 19 lives and left 113 others injured.

Usmani reported at the crime branch office at 3 pm on Saturday, and within 30 minutes fell ill and was taken to Sion hospital, Nisar Tamboli, deputy commissioner of police, crime, told HT. “Usmani told us that he suffered from hypertension when he became unwell. He said he had not taken his medication for a few days.”

Usmani’s family alleges that he had been tortured and that he had no history of hypertension. “We know he was tortured, if not physically, then mentally,” said 17-year-old Azeem, Usmani’s son, adding that the family is waiting for the post-mortem report.

Dr TP Lahane, dean of JJ hospital, told HT that Usmani’s provisional post-mortem report shows he died of natural causes.

“The post-mortem shows that he died due to cerebral haemorrhaging coupled with heart attack. There were no injuries on his body. Prima facie, we have concluded that he died due to natural causes,” Lahane said. “We have preserved his [heart] tissue for chemical analysis.”

Usmani, who ran a provision store in Shivaji Nagar, Govandi, went to the crime branch office after some plainclothes policemen visited his Govandi residence on Saturday afternoon and asked him to do so.

 “The patient was brought unconscious to the hospital. He was not breathing properly and had high blood pressure. The CT scan showed brain haemorrhage,” Dr Sandhya Kamath, dean of Sion hospital, said.

The CID team investigating the death visited the crime branch office on Sunday and went through the station diary entries and other records to ascertain  if Usmani complained about feeling ill.

Tamboli said: “He would frequently visit his brother Afzal in Ahmedabad jail. We suspect Afzal or one of his aides may have told him about the bomb plot.”

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Mumbai-blasts-suspect-dies-probe-ordered...

He was tortured, allege Usmani's family, friends

The family and friends of Faiz Ahmed Aziz Usmani, the 39-year-old man who died on Saturday, hours after he went to the Mumbai crime branch office for questioning, are shocked at his sudden demise and maintain he had no history of hypertension. “The police told us Usmani was rushed to the

hospital after he vomited and later he died. How is it that our friend who has no physical ailment died after he didn’t take his medicine?” asked Naseer Khan, Usmani’s neighbour and friend who was in the hospital along with Usmani’s wife Rubaida.

The family alleges that he was tortured. “We know he was tortured, if not physically, then mentally. We are awaiting the post-mortem report,” said his 17-year-old son Azeem, who added that there were no external injuries on his father’s body.

The provisional post-mortem report, released later in the evening, states that prima facie, he has died of natural causes.

The Govandi resident died nine hours after he went to the crime branch office for questioning, regarding the July 13 blasts.

Usmani is the older brother of 2008 Ahmedabad blast accused Afzal Usmani.

Eyewitnesses said Usmani was picked up by six policemen in plainclothes who said they were attached to unit 6 of the crime branch. “They came around 3 pm and caught hold of my father. When my mother asked why he was being taken, they told her they suspected he had played a role in the recent blasts,” said Azeem.

An officer returned later and told them Usmani was ill. “We rushed to Sion hospital where he was lying unconscious,” said Khan. Ajmal, a neighbour who was at the hospital, said: “They kept him on a ventilator but we knew he was gone at 9.45 pm. They called Rubaida at 12.15 am soon after he was declared dead.”

To Usmani’s family and friends, the police’s version of events makes no sense. “The officer who returned told us my father was taken to hospital an hour after they picked him up. How could they have reached the police station, questioned him and rushed him to the hospital in an hour? Whatever they did, it must have been while they were still in the vehicle,” said Azeem.

Usmani is survived by his wife and six children – the youngest is 18 months old.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/He-was-tortured-allege-Usmani-s-family-f...

Submitted by andie531 on Sun, 2011-07-17 23:42

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