Six arrested after alcohol addict dies of assault at deaddiction centre

HASSAN: Six people have been arrested in connection with the death of an alcoholic at a deaddiction centre here recently. One more person is on the run and police are on the lookout for him.

The police also called the parents of over 50 inmates of the Punarjeevana Seva Samsthe rehab centre at Vijayanagar Layout, sent them away and shut the centre for now.

On August 20, Tope Gowda of Medur village in Belur taluk had admitted his son Padme Gowda (38) at the deaddiction centre and deposited Rs 15,000. However, on August 24, Padme Gowda died. While performing the last rites, the family members notices injury marks on Padme Gowda’s body and Tope Gowda immediately lodged a complaint with the police.

Police Superintendent Hariram Shankar briefing the media regarding the incident.

Police Superintendent Hariram Shankar said they received a complaint around 10.50 pm on August 24 from the father Tope Gowda. “The father himself had admitted Padme Gowda to the deaddiction centre on August 20. The Sparsha Hospital authorities said Padme Gowda was brought dead on August 24. The family found injury marks on the body and informed the Hassan city police and the autopsy confirmed the assault. The deaddiction centre was being run illegally and had been issued notices twice”, he added.

It turns out that Padme Gowda was administered some medicine for his alcohol addiction during treatment and he started behaving strangely. To control him, the deaddiction centre owner Shashikumar, along with a few others, tied him down and thrashed him badly, leading to his death.

The victim Padme Gowda (middle).

However, they immediately shifted Padme Gowda to a hospital and told his father Tope Gowda that the former was exhausted and has been admitted to hospital. By the time Tope Gowda reached the hospital, Padme Gowda’s body was kept in an ambulance.

The post-mortem examination revealed that Padme Gowda had died due to the assault following which an FIR was registered against the deaddiction centre owner Shashikumar, Vijaykumar, Venkatesh, Christopher, M Kiran Kumar and Ravi, who have been arrested while the police are on the lookout for another accused, Vinay.

Padme Gowda had got married a few years ago and was hooked to alcohol. Upset over his addiction, his parents had admitted him to an unregistered deaddiction centre.