Boyfriend, friend arrested in Tiruchy teen's sedative overdose death

CHENNAI: Cantonment police on Tuesday (June 10) arrested Saddam Hussain and his friend Shaik Abdullah in connection with the death of 17-year-old, who died on June 8 after allegedly being administered a sedative injection at a lodge near the Tiruchy railway junction.

According to a Daily Thanthi report, the arrests were made based on a complaint lodged by mother of the deceased, Shakila Begum, alleging that the duo had kidnapped her daughter and threatened to kill her. The accused were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody. They were subsequently lodged in the Tiruchy Central Prison.

Police have so far registered a case of suspicious death in connection with the girl's demise. Officials said the exact cause of death would be known only after the post-mortem report is received.

What has the probe revealed so far?

Meanwhile, police are also probing an alleged narcotics angle in the case. Investigators said Shakila Begum and her son Zakir Hussain had earlier been arrested by Ariyamangalam police in a drug-related case and were later released on bail.

Police are also investigating claims that the deceased was involved in selling narcotics online. Efforts are under way to identify the source of the drugs.

What led to the case?

The 17-year-old girl, a resident of Ariyamangalam, had reportedly gone to a lodge near the Tiruchy railway junction with her boyfriend, Saddam Hussain (19) from the same locality, on Sunday evening.

It is said that the couple used to stay in the hotels in the guise of husband and wife.

She was administered a sedative overdose injected by her lover during their stay.

Police said that after the girl became unconscious, Saddam Hussain rushed out of the room and informed lodge staff that his "wife" had fallen from the cot and was not responding.

She was rushed her to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital. However, doctors declared her brought dead.

Cantonment police rushed to the hospital and retrieved the body. When the police inspected the room in the hotel, they found eight sedative pills,vials of water to dissolve them and syringes.

The police registered a case and interrogated Sadam Hussain.

(With inputs from Bureau)