A head constable and three constables from Bengaluru were convicted by a special CID court on Monday, November 25, for their involvement in a 2016 custodial death at the Jeevan Bima Nagar police station. The convicted policemen—head constable Ajaz Khan and constables Keshav Murthy, Mohan Ram, and Siddappa Bommanahalli—were accused of causing the death of 42-year-old Mahendra Singh Rathod, a domestic worker, during an interrogation related to an alleged theft case. 

Mahendra, originally from Odisha, had been working as a domestic help for a businessman in HAL 2nd Stage for over 12 years. He was detained on March 19, 2016, following allegations that he had stolen Rs 3.5 lakh from his employer. CCTV footage revealed Mahendra walking normally before being taken into the interrogation room, but by evening, he collapsed and was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital.

The autopsy revealed that Mahendra suffered from sickle cell disease, which made him more vulnerable to injuries. The postmortem report stated that his death was caused by a vaso-occlusive crisis in multiple organs triggered by physical exertion. While police initially claimed Mahendra died due to pre-existing health conditions, an investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) found evidence of physical assault during his interrogation.

The custodial death had led to the suspension of six policemen, including Inspector Hitendra and Sub-Inspector Rajashekar, for dereliction of duty. The case, initially registered as an unnatural death, was reclassified as culpable homicide not amounting to murder based on the CID's findings.

The court found the accused policemen guilty under Section 304 Part II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and Section 330 (voluntarily causing hurt to extort confession) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), read with Section 34 (common intention). Their bail bonds stand cancelled and they are directed to appear on November 26 for sentencing, with a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh each to ensure presence.