Agra: A 46-year-old undertrial facing murder and Arms Act charges was found dead in a septic tank in Firozabad district jail on Sunday morning, with prison authorities claiming that he died by suicide. A jail warder and a head warder were suspended for alleged negligence, while magisterial and judicial inquiries have been ordered into the incident.
The deceased, Jitendra alias Karua, a resident of Sarai Akbarpura village in Firozabad district, had been lodged in jail since 2024 in connection with a case registered at Sirsaganj police station. However, around 10am, staff noticed that he was missing and launched a search, during which his body was discovered in the septic tank.
Jail officials said inmates were let out of their barracks around 8am, following which a headcount was conducted and Jitendra was present. Jail superintendent Amit Chaudhary said, “Police and a forensic team were called to the spot. The autopsy report is awaited.
The tank was emptied using pumps before the body was retrieved and sent for postmortem.
Another officer claimed that Jitendra had been under mental stress due to financial difficulties and his ongoing trial.
Chaudhary said the inquiries would establish the circumstances surrounding his death. The jail warder and head warder, who were responsible for conducting headcounts or monitoring the area where the septic tank was located, were suspended for alleged negligence.