Nigerian Man Dies After Train Incident And Detention In India

(Surat Railway Station in India. Photo credit:Punch News)

A Nigerian man has died after being detained and questioned by railway officials in India.

Police there have launched an investigation into how he died.

The man's identity hasn't been released.

He was traveling from Mumbai to Delhi on a train when he was stopped at Surat station following what police say was a fight with other passengers on August 17.

According to reports, a passenger called the railway helpline to report that the Nigerian and another traveler were fighting near one of the train's doors.

During the altercation, he allegedly sprayed a fire extinguisher at other passengers while the train was moving between stations.

Railway officials detained him and brought him to their office for questioning.

He collapsed while there and was rushed to a hospital, where doctors said he was already dead when he arrived.

Police registered it as an accidental death and ordered a post-mortem examination, which was still being reviewed.

Investigators said the man lived in Mumbai and had been arrested twice before by police there in connection with cocaine trafficking in 2018.

When railway officials caught him, he had no identification papers on him.

Authorities are trying to figure out why he was heading to Delhi.

The investigation includes taking statements from the officers who detained him and those who were at the police station when he collapsed.

They're also waiting for the autopsy results.