Four booked for shelter home deaths, two staff in police custody

Patna : Two officials of a Patna shelter home arrested in connection with the death of two women inmates were sent in three-day police remand as the police on Monday registered an FIR against four persons, including these two, an official said.

A doctor and a nurse at the shelter home were among those booked but are absconding.

Chitranjan Kumar and Manisha Dayal were sent in police custody for questioning in connection with the death of two 'Aasra' inmates, aged 40 and 18, on Friday night at the Patna Medical College and Hospital here.

Kumar is Secretary and Dayal the Treasurer of 'Aasra' home that shelters women with mental disabilities. Both have denied any wrongdoing and claimed that they have documentary evidence to prove it.

Patna District Magistrate Kumar Ravi has ordered a probe, Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj has said that a Special Investigation Team has been constituted to probe the deaths, the cause of which is not known.

Though shelter home officials maintained that the two women died at the hospital, the latter's officials on Sunday denied it and said that the inmates were "brought dead".