Sultanpur, Feb 13 (IANS): A 77-year-old convict serving a life term for murder died in a jail in Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur district.

According to reports, Taufiq had complained of breathlessness and was rushed to the district hospital where he was declared brought dead.

According to the jail administration, after he was sentenced to life imprisonment by court in 1984, he was arrested and sent to the district jail in July 2022.

A senior official said that considering his current age and condition, the jail administration had kept him in one of the separate barracks made for the elderly. Arrangements were made for Taufiq along with eight other elderly prisoners.

On Monday, other prisoners informed the guards about Taufiq's breathing problem. "When his condition became serious, the jail administration immediately took him to the district hospital where the doctors declared him dead," said SHO Kotwali, Sultanpur, Ram Ashish Upadhyay.

The jail administration has informed family members of the deceased and sent the body for post-mortem.

Sultanpur jail superintendent Anil Gautam said, "Taufiq had been suffering from respiratory disease for a long time. His health had worsened, following which he passed away."