An FIR has been lodged against 17 named persons and several other unidentified persons.
RANCHI: In Jharkhand, a 27-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death in the early hours of Sunday on suspicion of bike theft under Angara police station limits in the state capital.
According to the police, Mubarak Khan was thrashed to death by the locals when he was reportedly trying to steal the battery and wheels of a Pulsar bike in Sirka Village.
The police have lodged an FIR against 17 identified persons and several others whose IDs are yet to be established.
“As per the information gathered so far, Mubarak, a resident of the nearby village Maheshpur, was trying to steal the battery and the tires of the Pulsar bike in Sirka. the villagers caught him in the act and thrashed him badly. He died on the spot,” said Brajesh Kumar, officer-in-charge of Angara Police Station.
He further added that some locals have been detained for interrogation to identify those involved in the crime.
Meanwhile, some locals have claimed that Mubarak was lynched due to alleged personal enmity when some people asked him to reach Sirka. “Mubarak was a driver by profession. He was called by someone to Sirka village and deliberately killed on false allegations of bike-stealing. He was first tied to an electric pole and thrashed brutally,” said Zakir Khan, one of the locals.
A battery has been found near the bike along with a jack used for changing the tires of a four-wheeler. “What is the use of a jack for stealing wheels of a bike,” Zakir questioned, further affirming that Mubarak was framed under a conspiracy as he was having a dispute with some villagers of Sirka.
It might be recalled that over 40 daily wage labourers had beaten up one Sachin Kumar Verma (22) on suspicion of vehicle theft under Kotwali police station limits in Ranchi. Verma had died while he was being taken to the hospital. The incident took place on March 8.
This story first appeared in www.newindianexpress.com on March 14, 2021 here.