Villagers ransacked Kanti police station in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar on Thursday after a 21-year-old theft suspect was found dead in the police lockup.

While deceased Shivam Jha’s family alleged that the police personnel tortured him to death, the latter claimed that Shivam committed suicide. His body was found hanging with a piece of cloth from the ventilation of the lockup.

Three police officials have been suspended so far and a probe has been ordered into the incident.

Shivam was allegedly arrested on Monday night from his native Kalvari village in a case of motorcycle theft in Paharpur area.

“Kanti station house officer (SHO) Sudhakar Pandey came to our house at around 10.30pm on Monday and took my son to the police station,” Shivam’s mother Rinku Devi said.

She added: “We went to meet Shivam on Tuesday. He told us that several police officials had thrashed him at night. When I complained to the SHO, he abused and shooed us away. Some officials demanded money to release him.”

Shivam’s mother said that she again went to the police station on Wednesday along with some villagers, but a sub-inspector named S.K. Singh insulted them and sent them away.

“The other police personnel told us that my son would be taken to court. They took him away on Wednesday afternoon and brought him back to the lockup in the evening. We were told this morning (Thursday) that he has died,” Rinku Devi said.

Shivam’s family and villagers rushed to the police station after getting information about his death and ransacked the police station. They also thrashed the SHO and some police personnel present there.