Indrani is suspected of having got the anti-epileptic drug from 3 Byculla jail officials who have been identified
Mumbai : In what can be termed as a major breakthrough into the suspected suicide attempt by former media executive Indrani Mukerjea, accused of killing her daughter Sheena Bora, three officials of Byculla Jail have been identified, and it is suspected that they might have passed on Benzodiaxakines (the anti-epileptic drug) to Indrani.
According to sources in the Home Department, the trio is on the radar as only they had access to Indrani and also to the outside world. Moreover, according to the Maharashtra Prison Act, the medicines for prisoners is purchased by the Central Medical Store (CMS) every year, and that too as per the request put by the state jails authorities. A senior official in the home department revealed that the medicines that this year too the medicines were procured by the CMS, but there was no mention of Benzodiaxakines, which was allegedly consumed by Indrani, in the purchase order of the jail authorities.
“Tenders are invited from several pharma companies, and following a competitive bidding system, Maharashtra prisons department awards to the company that places the best bid. Every year the tenders are invited in April, but this year it was done in May. However, no stock of Benzodiaxakines was purchased this year,” claimed a senior official from the home department.
Also if any medicine has to be brought from outside the jail, it can be done only after acquiring a written permission of jail’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO). However no record was found in the probe so far that suggests that the CMO has had allowed to procure Benzodiaxakines from outside the jail. In the initial inquiry of the internal jail staffers, three people from the jail were called in for questioning, informed a well-placed source.
Meanwhile, newly appointed Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) BK Upadhyay has been entrusted with the
responsibility of conducting probe into the alleged suicide bid of Indrani. Sources say Upadhyay has been asked to look into the loopholes that led to the incident.
Also, IG (Prisons) Bipin Kumar Singh has told media that the probe will be completed in a week’s time to ascertain if there was any negligence or foul play, and a case would be filed if any criminality is found.
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Indrani lapses into ‘deep sleep’, next 48 hrs critical
Indrani has lapsed into “deep sleep” or stupor, though she is responding to treatment, a top hospital official said on Saturday. JJ Hospital’s dean TP Lahane said Indrani is responding to treatment and is now “critical but stable” and is under observation in the criticare centre. Indrani is under observation for 72 hours and the next 48 hours are critical, he told media persons here on Saturday. “She is responding to voice commands, asked for water once but remains in a semi-conscious state. She is also on ventilator to help her breathe.”
Urine test positive for anti-depressant drugs
The urine samples of Indrani which were sent for testing to Hinduja Hospital for analysis has tested positive for presence of anti-depressant drugs, said Dr T P Lahane dean of JJ Hospital on Saturday. However, the gastric lavage samples which were sent to Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Kalina have reported to be negative which has added another twist to the case. Indrani is in a semi-conscious state but still not out of danger; next 48 hours is critical, informed Lahane.
While the permissible limit of such drug in normal human being should be within 200 units, in Indrani’s sample it was found to be 2,088 units, which is 10 times higher than the permissible limit. This indicates that either Indrani had a history of consuming the drug or that she had consumed it in large quantity.
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Sayed Roshan
