{
  "id": 20123420,
  "title": "Truck carrying cardamom catches fire. 10 days later, driver dies after night of police questioning in Madurai",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/15/truck-carrying-cardamom-catches-fire-10-days-later-driver-dies-after-20123420",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-15T05:34:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express - India",
    "slug": "the-indian-express-india",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/india/truck-carrying-cardamom-fire-driver-dies-night-police-questioning-madurai-10963715/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On November 3, a truck carrying parcels and bags of cardamom caught fire near a tank bund in Madurai district. The driver, R Balakrishnan, was from Devaram in Theni district. Ten days later, Balakrishnan went to a police station to answer questions about the fire and the bags of cardamom. He spent the night at the Chekkanoorani police station and was found unconscious in a restroom by 6 am on Saturday. He was taken to Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.\n\nThe police suspect that Balakrishnan attempted to take his own life. They have suspended the station inspector, Muthu, and two constables, and ordered a judicial inquiry. The investigation has been transferred to the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID). Surveillance footage from the station has been preserved.\n\nTwo complaints were filed after the incident. The first was from the manager of the agent who sent the cardamom, who suspected some bags were missing. The second was a complaint made by Balakrishnan himself, who lodged a complaint about the fire in his Eicher goods vehicle. The police registered a case concerning the accidental fire on Friday.\n\nBalakrishnan's wife, Sudha, said that he had initially told her it was a fire case and that there was no problem. However, he also told her that about 10 people were present, and they wanted a case filed against him. Sudha alleged that her husband was pressured over the cardamom consignment and was kept at the police station after the police showed him some video footage. She claims she was not informed about her husband's situation and learned of it from his employer.\n\nThe preliminary police account states that Balakrishnan went to the restroom from the inspector's room. The police account of a suspected suicide attempt has not been independently established. The footage investigators are examining is related to the events on the road from Theni to Madurai.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}