A man who was arrested in the Strand, near Cape Town, on Tuesday on theft and housebreaking charges was found dead in the cell where he was kept two hours after his death, police said.
The man was arrested at 1pm and was found dead at 3pm, Captain Elliot Sinyangana said on Wednesday.
”He was placed in a police cell with another male person and at about 3pm, during routine duties, one of the members heard a screaming voice and attended immediately.
”On arrival they find the suspect hanging from the cell bar with a blanket string he made by tearing a blanket,” Sinyangana said.
He said an inquest docket has been opened and local police were investigating.
”The deceased’s details and particulars cannot be made available for publication as the process of informing next of kin is still in progress,” he said. — Sapa