LAHORE, July 14: Police allegedly tortured to death a suspect in the Baghbanpura lock-up here on Monday.

Khushhal Khan told reporters that police raided his house on Sunday night at Lakhoder, Manawan. They scaled the walls, woke up the inmates and started thrashing them, he alleged.

Khushhal said his son Azam Khan, 28, was picked up by the police, but “they did not tell us where they were taking him.”

He said his family was informed on Monday by the police that he (Azam) had died in the lock-up. He claimed that he saw scars on the body of his son at the police station.

Cantonment police SP Dr Usman Anwar, however, claimed that the arrested man had died due to drug addiction. He was an addict and also involved in drug business, he said, claiming to have seized 99gms of hashish.

The body was sent to the city mortuary where a board of doctors carried out a autopsy. The cause of death had yet to be ascertained, a police officer quoted the doctors as saying.

Neither a case was registered against the raiding policemen nor was any inquiry ordered till last reports came in.

MURDER: A man allegedly strangled his grandmother over a property dispute at her house inside Bhatti Gate on Monday.

Azhar Hayat told police that he had been living in a portion of 72-year-old Saghiran Bibi’s house. He said her grandson Imran Ahmad used to visit her and quarrel over property, which she did not want to give him.

On Monday morning, Hayat said he found the woman lying dead when he woke up. He alleged that Imran had strangled her at night.

The body was sent to the city mortuary for autopsy. Police have registered a case with no arrest so far.