Delhi Rape Suspect Found Dead in Cell

The alleged ringleader in the gang-rape case that sparked protests across India has been found hanged in his cell. Police say Ram Singh, who allegedly drove the bus on which 23-year-old physiotherapist Jyoti Singh Pandey was raped and fatally injured, hanged himself with his own clothes in New Delhi's Tihar Jail, where he was under suicide watch, the AP reports. Singh and four co-accused were facing the death penalty if convicted, while another suspect will be tried in juvenile court.

Singh "knew he was going to die anyway because we had and still have such a strong case against him," the victim's brother tells Reuters. "I'm not very thrilled with the news that he killed himself because I wanted him to be hanged ... publicly. Him dying on his own terms seems unfair. But, oh well, one is down. Hopefully the rest will wait for their death sentence." Singh's lawyer and family accuse authorities of killing him and are calling for a top-level probe. (More New Delhi stories.)