16 Apr 2020

Fiji police investigating death of prisoner

7:42 pm on 16 April 2020

Fiji police are investigating the death of a remand prisoner in Lautoka on Monday.

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Photo: RNZ Pacific/Koroi Hawkins

Police said the man was not feeling well and was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro said the man was arrested in connection with a burglary and not for breaching the Covid-19 curfew as claimed by several social media posts.

One such post said police were responsible for the man's death but Ms Naisoro said this was not true.

She said police were investigating the authors of the social media posts who they believed were overseas.

Meanwhile, the body of a man was found in the Rewa River at Nausori on Wednesday.

A woman who was weeding near the river discovered the body and alerted police who were now investigating.