Chennai: P. Ramkumar, remand prisoner Number 00400, wanted to go out of the cell on Sunday at around 4.30 pm to fetch drinking water and requested warder Pechimuthu to let him out, says the first information report filed at the Puzhal police station at 9.05 pm, based on a complaint from Puzhal jail officer Jayaraman. Ramkumar was the lone suspect in the murder of Infosys techie Swathi at the Nungambakkam railway station on June 24.
The FIR further says that Ramkumar stepped out of the cell after getting permission from the warder. He went near the water pot and suddenly smashed the nearby switchboard using his hands and pulled out the wires. He then bit them. On seeing this, Pechimuthu rushed to Ramkumar's side and tried to separate him from the wires using his lathi. Pechimuthu then rushed to switch off the mains before reporting the incident to his superiors using his walkie-talkie.
Within minutes, medical officer Naveen Kumar came to the scene and took the inmate to the jail hospital after giving him first aid.
The inmate was later rushed to Royapettah GH for emergency care in a 108 ambulance at around 5.05 pm. The Royapettah GH medical team declared him dead on arrival at 5.45 pm. It was around 7.35 pm that the police from GH informed kin about the death of the prisoner, the FIR said.
