A tragic incident has unfolded at Surat Railway Station in India, where a Nigerian national has died after being detained by Railway Protection Force (RPF) officials. This incident has raised significant concerns, leading the Government Railway Police (GRP) to initiate an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

The man, whose identity remains undisclosed, was traveling on the Golden Temple Express from Mumbai to Delhi when he was detained on August 17. Reports indicate that the situation escalated after a fellow passenger alerted the railway helpline about an alleged altercation between the Nigerian and another passenger near one of the train's gates. During this confrontation, it is alleged that the Nigerian sprayed a fire extinguisher at his co-passengers while the train was in transit between Vapi and Surat stations.

Upon arrival at Surat, the RPF officials detained the individual and took him to their office for questioning. Unfortunately, he reportedly collapsed during the interrogation and was immediately rushed to the Surat Municipal Institute of Medical Education and Research Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The GRP has classified the case as one of “accidental death,” and a post-mortem examination was conducted on August 18, with the results pending as of the latest updates. Abhay Soni, the Superintendent of Police for Western Railway, confirmed that the deceased was a Nigerian national residing in Vasai, Mumbai. Notably, Soni mentioned that the man did not possess any identification documents at the time of his detention.

Further investigations revealed that the deceased had a troubled past, having been arrested twice in Mumbai for involvement in cocaine trafficking cases back in 2018. The police are currently probing the reasons behind his journey to Delhi and have confirmed that he boarded the train from Borivali in Mumbai.

As part of the ongoing inquiry, the GRP is expected to collect statements from the officers involved in the detention as well as those present at the RPF office during the incident. Deputy Superintendent of Police D H Gaur is leading the investigation, which aims to clarify the events that led to the man's untimely death.