KARACHI, Jan 23: A robbery suspect died in mysterious circumstances after some residents of Federal B Area handed him over to the Gulberg police station on Sunday evening.The police initially denied that the suspect was in the lock-up when he died, saying that he was being taken to hospital when the death happened. They insisted that the suspect died a natural death.

The officials also said that he was a drug addict.

The mystery deepened when it emerged that no medico-legal formalities were completed following the suspect’s death and then the police came up with a different version. “We never took him to the lock-up, instead we handed him over to his brother, Mansoor, who had arrived at the police station, and he died shortly afterwards,” said Gulberg SHO Shaukat Ali.

The SHO added that residents of Block 13, F.B Area, had handed over the suspect, Imran, to the police at 5pm for allegedly steeling a suction pump in the neighbourhood.

Asked if the suspect was given a hiding by the residents before being handed over to the police, the SHO replied in the negative. He also denied that the suspect was roughed up by any police official.

No senior police officer was available for comment on the incident.