Pakistani national Khalid Mehmood (35) had died due to chronic liver disease, according to a preliminary report of the Haryana Police, which probed the case. Mehmood had been shifted to AIIMS from Gurgaon jail for treatment, where he died, the police said.The death had created a furore in Pakistan, which had asked India to investigate the matter, after which the Centre had asked the Haryana Police to probe the case. The Haryana Police said it had been established that he had been suffering from chronic liver disease. According to Dr John V George, Director General of Prisons, Haryana, the internal inquiry by jail officials and magisterial probe had confirmed that Mehmood, alias Azad, died due to chronic hepatitis and rupture of blood vessels in the liver. He was suffering from medical problems for the past several years. The matter had been probed by IG (Prisons) M S Mann, who will submit a detailed report to the Centre.According to the police, Mehmood was unaware of his serious medical problems. He was taking periodical treatment, however, his condition had deteriorated in the past four months before his death. After he had vomited blood on February 11 in Gurgaon’s Bhondsi jail, he was shifted to AIIMS, Delhi, the same evening. He died the next day. His body was handed over to Pakistani officials at Attari on March 10. Mehmood, who was a resident of Lahore, had come to watch the India-Pakistan cricket match in Kanpur in April 2005. He was arrested a year later from Faridabad and was lodged in Bhondsi jail for overstaying his visa permit. According to the police, Mehmood was living in Faridabad under several aliases. He was arrested in May 2006 under the Official Secrets Act, Foreigners Act and Passport Act. Haryana DGP Ranjiv Dalal said: “The post-mortem report does not indicate any foul play.”
