New Delhi: The custodial death of a man held on the charge of abetting four foreign nationals in looting ATMs in Tripura has snowballed into a controversy, leading the state government to suspend two police personnel, transfer the superintendent of the crime branch and order an investigation into the matter.Sushanta Ghosh (38), a resident of Lankamura area of West Tripura, was arrested by the crime branch on January 11 for allegedly helping two Bangladeshi and two Turkish nationals to hack ATMs in Agartala and loot the cash. The four foreign nationals were arrested in West Bengal and brought to the state. Local media reports said Ghosh was picked up by the police after the foreigners named him during their interrogation.However, on Sunday morning, Ghosh was found dead. Police told media persons that he committed suicide in the jail lavatory in the early hours of Sunday.Ghosh’s family, though, alleged custodial torture caused his death. His father said his son was innocent. He said the four foreign nationals visited their shop to buy sweets. When they sought his help to exchange some dollars for Indian rupees, Ghosh agreed. He didn’t know them from before, the father claimed.The family lodged a formal complaint alleging that Ghosh was killed in police custody and named Nirdesh Deb, DSP (crime branch), for torturing him. Ghosh’s sister, who visited him at the police station soon after his arrest, reportedly said that her brother was threatened “repeatedly” by cyber crime branch SP Sharmistha Chakraborty and told that both she and her brother would be killed if she didn’t leave the police station at once.The sudden death of the man shocked many in the public, leading the opposition Congress and Left Front to demand a judicial probe into the matter.Also read: Poor Medical Care for Prisoners Explains Why Number of Custodial Deaths Is Only RisingFormer chief minister and veteran left leader Manik Sarkar visited Ghosh’s family on January 14 and demanded an inquiry and that the family be given Rs 25 lakh as compensation. Congress state president Pijush Kanti Deb said, “The police must answer the basic questions, from where Sushanta got the muffler inside the cell? How did he climb at least 40 feet to hang himself? Where is a CCTV footage of the incident? Why were the family members of the deceased not allowed to meet him in police custody?”In an attempt to control the situation, the BJP government announced compensation of Rs 3 lakh to the family. Chief minister Biplab Deb also ordered a magisterial inquiry on January 13. On January 14, SP Chakraborty was transferred while a sub-inspector of police and a constable were handed out suspension orders citing negligence of duty.According to local news reports, West Tripura SP Manik Lal Das said a departmental inquiry has also been initiated to look into the circumstances leading to Ghosh’s death.The four other accused were also kept in the same cell as Ghosh.