Suspect in abduction of three UN workers dies in custody

A MAN suspected of involvement in the abduction of three UN workers in Afghanistan died in custody last week and authorities are investigating whether he was tortured to death, the Interior Ministry said yesterday.

The man named only as Kajkoal, a resident of the Paghman Valley near Kabul suspected of involvement in several past armed robberies, was arrested two days after the October 28 abduction of the workers, said ministry spokesman Lutfullah Mashal.

"He died in police custody on Monday," he said. "The Minister of the Interior has appointed a commission to investigate and find out what was behind his death - if he was beaten, or if there were some atrocities."