A man today died in police custody three hours after his detention in Nasirnagar upazila of Brahmanbaria.

The deceased, Md Babul Mia, 54, a resident of Chandrapara area under the upazila, was detained by police at around 1:45pm and died at around 4:45pm, reports our Brahmanbaria correspondent.

Police claimed that Babul was a fugitive accused in a robbery case with an arrest warrant issued against him. The case was filed with Bijoynagar Police Station of the district, they said.

However, his family members claimed that a group of plainclothes men picked him up from the village. The men could not show any arrest warrant to the villagers who were present there, the family members added.

“After the arrest, when Babul was taken near the police station, he fell ill and was brought to the upazila health complex where he died while undergoing treatment,” said Kabir Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Nasirnagar Police Station.

Nasirnagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ali Asgar made report of circumstantial evidence of the body in presence of family members of the deceased, the OC said, adding that later the body was sent to Brahmanbaria General Hospital morgue for autopsy.

Contacted, Residential Medical Officer (RMO) of Nasirnagar Upazila Health Complex Shahriar Shoeb told The Daily Star that after being admitted to the health complex Babul informed that he had pain in his left chest.

Babul was given oxygen but as his condition deteriorated, he was referred to Brahmanbaria General Hospital, the RMO said.

He breathed his last while he was being boarded in an ambulance, the official added.