A 26-year-old youth who along with his mother and two others, was arrested in a theft case on Jattvibeday, allegedly died in police custody under mysterious circumstances on Tuesday night.The deceased was identified as Daler Singh, a resident of Multania village in Bhatinda. His father Bakhshish Singh alleged that police torture during remand led to his son’s death. He has demanded strict action against the police team.Bakhshish claimed his son was a drug addict who had gone to Jai Singhwala village on a motorcycle to buy drugs, where he met with an accident. “The next day, he went to the village in a car along with his mother and others to bring his motorcycle back. The locals there mistook him for an electricity wire thief, caught him and handed him over to the police. I met him at the court complex the next day, and he was fine. On Tuesday night, I was told that Daler had died. He was to be produced in court again today,” he said.The deceased’s father added, “I had told the police that my son is suffering from Hepatitis-C and had warned them not to thrash him.”Bathinda (Rural) DSP Harvinder Singh Sra said, “Daler was arrested in connection with a theft case. The residents of some villages were upset over recent thefts of electricity wires, motors, etc. His health suddenly deteriorated on Tuesday evening during police remand. A police team immediately rushed him to the local health centre at Sangat, where he was given first aid and referred to the Bathinda Civil Hospital due to the non-availability of a senior doctor. Our team took him to the Bathinda hospital in an official vehicle, as an ambulance was not available at that time. However, he died before the doctors could start his treatment.”The DSP added that the exact cause of death would be known once the post-mortem report was received. Footage from the CCTV cameras installed in the police station would help bring out the truth. The DSP added that a judicial inquiry would be marked since it was a custodial death. Daler Singh had recently come out on bail in an old case, he added.The deceased has a two-year-old son. His mother and one other accused in the theft case are in police custody, while two others involved in the case are yet to be arrested.