Ghaziabad, Dec 12 (IANS) A man picked up for questioning following the murder of a senior Congress leader here, died in the police custody. A police official Friday claimed that the man died “due to fits”.Yogesh Tyagi, in his 30s, was picked up for questioning from Ghaziabad’s Morta village Thursday.

On Friday, the police left Tyagi at a private hospital. The authorities at the Sarvodaya Hospital said that Tyagi was dead.

Superintendent of Police (City) Vijay Bhushan said that though Tyagi was in police custody, he died “due to fits”.

Pintu Tyagi, a member of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), was killed by armed men who came to his home in RDC Colony of this town, adjoining New Delhi, and shot him when he came out to meet them.

According to the police, two unidentified persons rang the door bell which Tyagi’s wife, Anuradha Tyagi, answered. They asked to meet Tyagi. She admitted them in and went back into the kitchen where she was preparing tea for her husband.

A third man apparently joined them there, the police said, citing Tyagi’s wife.

Meanwhile, Tyagi came out of his bedroom and went to meet the visitors. However, within a minute, his wife heard two gunshots and rushed out, also calling their son Kunal to chase the attackers who fled the spot after shooting Tyagi.

Both mother and son chased the assailants for almost 100 metres but were unable to catch them. They then rushed the critically injured leader to local Yashoda Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.

Tyagi had contested the Murad Nagar assembly seat on Congress ticket but lost to the Bahujan Samaj Party’s Raj Pal Tyagi, who is now a minister in the Mayawati government.