In a shocking piece of news that sparked the accusation of custodial torture, 26-year-old Dinesh Kumar had died hours after being released from the police custody. Dinesh Kumar was arrested by the Kannagi Nagar police in Chennai and he was released on Tuesday - December 20. Hours after he got released, he was taken to a hospital after getting fainted. But, the doctors in the hospital declared that he was dead. 

Dinesh Kumar was arrested on the charge of stealing a mobile phone near Thoraipakkam. After investigation, the police released him with a warning on Tuesday and as he died hours after the release, his family has alleged that he had died due to police torture. Dinesh Kumar was taken to Stanley Medical College Hospital after he fainted within hours of the release and the hospital said that he was dead on arrival. 

According to reports, Dinesh Kumar's wife Kowsalya said that the police hit him in front of her and he was severely hurt. When Dinesh Kumar left the police station, he was weak and was suffering from pain. After his death made headlines, his family and relatives protested against the police and demanded a judicial probe into his death. The cadres of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) had staged a protest inside the Stanley Medical College Hospital on Wednesday.  

Saravana Tamilan, a member of DYFI, had claimed that Dinesh was hit by the police. On the other hand, the police have alleged that Dinesh Kumar had more than ten pending cases against him for theft and murder threats and said that he could have gone into a fight with anyone after the release from the police station due to which he could have suffered injuries. 

According to the police, Dinesh Kumar and his friend Ramachandran had stolen a phone from a man named Stephen who was travelling in a bus. While Ramachandran escaped from the spot with the phone, Stephan caught Dinesh with the help of other commuters and handed him over to the police. Keeping in a custody, the police had called Dinesh's wife Kowsalya and asked her to get the phone from Ramachandran and produce it to the police station. 

After Kowsalya reached the police station and produced the phone, Dinesh Kumar was released with a warning and he was immediately taken to a nearby hospital for medical assistance. Kowsalya said that Dinesh Kumar was weak when he came out of the police station and to treat him, she took him to a nearby hospital and the doctors have given treatment and sent home. However, within the hours of release, Dinesh Kumar fainted and was suffering from nausea. He was then taken to Stanley Medical College Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival and the autopsy report is awaited.