MULTAN, Nov 2: An alleged dacoit who set himself on fire a few days ago in the Haram Gate police lock-up died on Saturday in the burn unit of Nishtar Hospital.

Khurram Shahzad (25) said in his statement before death that he had burnt himself in protest against the police torture. He was charged by the Delhi Gate police in a dacoity and a possession of illegal arms cases.

The accused was lodged at the Haram Gate police lock-up on Oct 29 last due to the absence of lock-up facility at the Delhi Gate police station. The Delhi Gate police claim to have arrested Khurram the day he attempted suicide.

However, Khurram and his family told journalists that he had been in police custody since Sept 17 last. This claim was indirectly supported by the Multan DPO when he told Dawn on Oct 29 that before Multan police Khurram was under interrogation of the Lahore police.

Police sources said Khurrum had been remained under interrogation of various police stations in Multan, including Delhi Gate, Mumtazabad, New Multan and CIA staff, for the untraced dacoity incidents in their respective jurisdictions. The police interrogation meant nothing but physical and mental torture, they said.

In his last statement, the deceased told newsmen that he had preferred death instead of suffering further humiliation. He said Mumtazabad SHO Mehr Waseem had threatened him that he would defile his sister and beat up his mother if he did not confess to his crime.

The police claimed that Khurram had first set on fire a mattress and then wrapped himself in it. However, Khurram had belied the police claim and said that a motorcycle was parked inside the Haram Gate police lock-up and he took petrol from its tank and sprinkled on himself.

DPO Hamid Mukhtar Gondal after suspending three officials on duty at the time when Khurram attempted suicide had appointed DSP Haram Gate to hold an inquiry. When contacted, the DSP informed that now SP (investigations) Malik Mureed Husain was conducting the inquiry. It would take few days to reach any conclusion, he said.

Deceased Khurram’s mother Shahnaz Bibi had filed an application to the area judicial magistrate, alleging that the police had set her son on fire to cover up its brutal torture after the family threat to knock the door of high court.

Autopsy was carried out on the body at the Nishtar Hospital mortuary before handing it over to his family.