Sean 'Diddy' Combs placed on suicide watch as he awaits trial for sex trafficking and racketeering charges

The rapper and businessman, 54, was arrested on Monday, September 16 in Manhattan, New York. His charges were announced after his federal indictment was unsealed, revealing that Combs had been charged with counts of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Despite his team offering a huge $50m bond, he was denied bail and has since been in custody at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Centre, where he awaits trial. However, an insider to the case has told PEOPLE Magazine that Combs is now reportedly under close observation over fears he may commit suicide.

His lawyer Marc Agnifilo said on Wednesday that his client was being kept in a separate housing unit which has an “extra layer of security”. The stepped-up suicide watch comes amid reports that Combs is shocked by the charges, with his mental state currently unclear.

The indictment against Combs lays out allegations of the music mogul reportedly forcing victims to take part in so-called ‘freak-offs’, which were described by prosecutors as “elaborate and produced sex performances”. He allegedly pressured and coerced victims into taking part in repeated ‘freak-offs’, some of which were reportedly filmed without consent, through the use of drugs such as cocaine, ketamine and oxycodone.

Combs is set to take part in his next conference hearing on September 24. The rapper has denied all charges.