MADURAI: One of the 10 policemen arrested in connection with the custodial torture and murder of a father-son duo at Sathankulam in Thoothukudi district has died to novel coronavirus. The duo's custodial death sparked outrage across the nation and shed light to police brutality in India.

Special sub-inspector Paul Durai, 56, died at the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) in Madurai early Monday.

Paul Durain was one of the 10 policemen arrested in connection with the alleged custodial torture of P Jeyaraj and his son Bennicks at the Sathankulam police station in Tuticorin district in June. They death at a government hospital a few days later.

Paul Durai was earlier lodged at the central prison here and admitted to the GRH after he tested positive for the coronavirus last month. His wife had petitioned the Madurai Police Commissioner seeking permission to shift her husband to Kanyakumari for medical attention.

She had said that her husband had been wrongly implicated in the case, since he had been only on a temporary posting at the Sattankulam police station. She alleged that he was not on duty when Jayaraj and Benicks were tortured at the station.

She further said that her husband was not given proper COVID-19 care and had sought his transfer to a private hospital and assured that the family would spend for the treatment. However, authorities said that he was a remand prisoner and the family had to approach the court for his transfer to a private hospital.

Even as Pauldurai’s wife was planning to approach the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday, the news of his death reached the family early morning, as reported by a leading daily.

The CBI is presently pursuing the case after the Tamil Nadu government handed over the probe to the premier agency from the state's CB-CID.