India: investigation into the suspicious death of a young Congolese in Bangalore
Audio 02:22
A spontaneous demonstration took place in front of the police station of JC Nagar, after the announcement of the death of Joël Malu.
5 Congolese were arrested for violence and degradation.
© AFP
By: Sébastien Farcis Follow
10 mins
On the night of Sunday, August 1, the police in Bangalore (southern India) arrested a young Congolese suspected of drug trafficking.
A few hours later, this 27-year-old man, Joël Malu, died in police custody.
In this country where police violence is very common, especially against the African community, the conditions of this death are disturbing.
Our correspondent in India, Sébastien Farcis, investigated.
Publicity
It is past midnight on Sunday August 1st. Joël Malu and several of his African friends from Bangalore celebrate the birthday of one of them, in an apartment in the north of the city. Suddenly, someone knocks on the door very loudly,
"as if we wanted to break it"
, testifies one of them. Two policemen arrive, accompanied by an African, whom most know well: it is Mykel Williams, a Nigerian drug user and trafficker, who would serve as an informant for the police. The three men search the apartment for drugs, and do not find any. Tone up. They ask "where is Herman", a Congolese from Bangalore. He is not there.
"So they went to the room and took my money, several phones, the chargers"
, says Sabrina (not her real name), still in shock.
She and her sister would thus have been relieved of 200,000 rupees (2,300 euros), in addition to their mobiles.
“Then they left with Bless,”
she concludes.
The contradicted police version
“Bless”
is the nickname of Joël Malu, a 27-year-old Congolese from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who died a few hours later in custody at the JC Nagar police station in mysterious conditions. Sabrina's story, corroborated by others, contradicts the version provided by the police. She claims that Joël Malu is a drug trafficker and that agents arrested him in the street, aboard a scooter, when he was about to sell his products.
"MDMA (an illegal psychotropic drug) fell out of his pocket and we caught him with our hands in the bag,"
says JC Nagar's deputy commissioner, Reena Suvarna.
Other witnesses, present at the evening, demonstrate this version of the facts. Herman Loméla, a 29-year-old Congolese man, saw the two agents arrive with Mykel in the apartment, before fleeing. He knows them well, and fears them, because these are the same police officers who allegedly arrested and tortured him for a week, last October.
“One of them is called Santhosh,” he
says
. He also accused me of trafficking, but he had no proof. So he and his men tied me upside down, inserted syringes into my skin, and burned me with candle wax. I still have scars, ”
says Herman. After a week, they allegedly asked this Congolese to work for them, which he refused.
“So they released me, without registering any complaint against me.
"
Police extortion attempt
Mykel Williams, a notorious trafficker in the neighborhood, would have accepted this bargain and informed the police about other Africans, a community regularly stigmatized in India and suspected by the police of trafficking drugs.
On this sad night of August 1, Mykel would have sought to "
punish the Congolese
", according to a source, because one of them was dating his ex-girlfriend.
The feast was a good occasion for that.
"It is he who brought the MDMA"
so that it serves as evidence to conviction, affirms this source, witness of the scene.
RFI spoke with Mykel Williams by courier, but the latter did not answer our questions on the course of the evening and on these accusations.
After the arrest of Joël Malu, Mykel and Santhosh allegedly demanded money for the release of the young Congolese.
“30,000 or 40,000 rupees”
(345 or 460 euros), affirms Herman Loméla, who was in discussion with them during the night.
“We had to collect the money the same evening, because if we waited until the morning, the chief of police would arrive and that would make another case.
"
His friends start to raise the funds, but they do not have time to arrive at the station when a grim news reaches them:
"Mykel's girlfriend told us that Santhosh admitted to having done a big mistake"
.
Euphemism to say that Joël Malu died in police custody.
"We did not touch Joël"
The cause of death has still not been officially established.
The hospital where he was transferred only mentions a
"heart attack"
.
Herman Loméla suggests that Joël, overweight, may have "
succumbed
" to the blows carried by the police.
But according to Kasongo Musenga, the first counselor of the DRC embassy, who inspected the body, it did not bear visible signs of violence.
JC Nagar's deputy commissioner, Reena Suvarna, maintains that “{his}
subordinates did not touch Joel.
So let's not even talk about hitting it!
And no one asked for money either, she
says.
We take this drug business very seriously.
"
It also recalls that Joel Malu was illegally: his Indian visa had expired in 2015, and his passport in 2017 - which was confirmed by the Embassy of the DRC.
She does not indicate that she does not know Mykel Williams, but RFI was able to obtain a photo which shows the Nigerian and the local policeman Santhosh Madhugiri drinking a beer together, in a very friendly manner.
Sabrina, who saw the officers disembark during the evening, recognized the two men when shown the photo.
An internal investigation is underway in the police services to determine the cause of Joël Malu's death while in police custody.
The autopsy has taken place, but the forensic pathologist cannot make a decision until he has received the results of the chemical analyzes.
In the meantime, the body of Joël Malu will be repatriated, during the week, for his last trip back home.
Joël Malu during one of his graduation ceremonies in 2016 Retrieved from his facebook profile.
© Facebbok / Joël Malu
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