Mumbai (PTI): A 60-year-old convict in the music mogul Gulshan Kumar murder case lodged in Harsul prison in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has died of a heart attack, an official said on Saturday.

Mohammed Rauf Dawood Merchant, a resident of Amrut Nagar in Mumbra in neighbouring Thane district, was serving a life sentence at Harsul prison, some 350 kilometres from here, since 2002 after his conviction in the sensational case, he said.

"On the morning of January 8, while offering namaz inside the prison barracks, Merchant had severe chest pain and fell unconscious. He was rushed to a government hospital where he died. The post mortem report put the cause of death as severe heart attack. His kin in Mumbra took possession of his body the same evening and performed the last rites," he informed.

An accidental death case has been registered at Harsul police station, the official added.

Gulshan Kumar, a cassette baron and among Bollywood's most prominent producers, was shot dead outside a temple in Andheri in the western part of Mumbai by three persons on August 12, 1997. Sixteen rounds were fired, which also resulted in grievous injuries to Kumar's driver.

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Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.

The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).

"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.

The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.

The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.

Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.

They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.

Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.