A suspect in the notorious rape and murder of a female student in India's capital, Delhi, has been found dead in prison, his lawyer has confirmed.
Police say Ram Singh hanged himself in Delhi's Tihar jail, but defence lawyers and his family suspect he was murdered.
Ram Singh, 33, was one of five men being held in the rape and murder case. They all deny the charges.
The attack on the student on a bus in December outraged India and triggered a debate about the treatment of women.
A sixth suspect is being tried by a juvenile court.
The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder, in Delhi, says Mr Singh's death comes as a huge embarrassment for the authorities who are already under enormous pressure over the case.
Tihar jail spokesman Sunil Gupta told that Ram Singh appeared to have hanged himself with an improvised rope made from a blanket at about 05:00 local time on Monday (23:30 GMT Sunday).
He said an inquiry had been ordered and Ram Singh's body would be taken for a post mortem examination later on Monday.
The spokesman denied Indian media reports that Ram Singh had been on suicide watch, and said three people were sharing his prison cell.
Ram Singh's lawyer, VK Anand, told the BBC he was informed about his client's death by police.
"This is shocking news. There were no circumstances to suggest that he would commit suicide. He was happy with the trial, it was going on smoothly," Mr Anand said.
Bütün xəbərlər Facebook səhifəmizdə
USD
EUR
GBP
RUB