A 36-year-old tribal man from Bihar was lynched by a mob in Kizhissery in Kerala’s Malappuram district on Saturday, May 13. The deceased has been identified as Rajesh Manji. Kondotty police have arrested eight persons in connection with the crime and started an investigation.
“First we registered a case of unnatural death, then we altered the section to IPC 302 (Punishment for murder). The deceased man had reached Malappuram just two days before the incident. He was brutally assaulted which resulted in his death. We have started an investigation into the incident,” Kondotty Assistant Superintendent of Police Vijay Bharat Reddy told TNM.
Malappuram Superintendent of Police (SP) Sujith Das told media persons on Sunday that it was a clear case of mob lynching. According to the SP, some of the suspects informed the police on Saturday morning that a body was found lying near a house. The police initially filed an FIR of unnatural death. Later, it was revealed that the deceased, Rajesh, had been brutally assaulted by some residents, suspecting that he had stolen from a house nearby.
The SP said that the people used iron rods and wooden logs to assault Rajesh and that he lost consciousness some time during their questioning. The accused, according to the police, dragged Rajesh towards a closed shutter and dropped him there. After some time, one of the accused informed a local social worker who reached the spot immediately and took Rajesh to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead.
“Two persons who work in a chicken shop near the residence of Muhammed Afsal heard some noise in the early hours of Saturday and went to check. They found Rajesh sitting in a corner and called the house owner Afsal and his family who were sleeping inside. Two of Afsal’s brothers also arrived and they all questioned and assaulted Rajesh accusing him of theft. This continued for two hours,” the SP said.
He added that later the suspects took Rajesh to a junction nearby and informed a social worker named Anwar about it. It was Anwar who informed the police. The night patrol policemen took Rajesh to a private hospital nearby, but he was examined and declared brought dead by doctors.
On investigation, the police found that the eight accused were directly involved in thrashing the victim. They also found that Rajesh’s hands were tied. The SP said that Rajesh had severe injuries to his chest, ribs, and abdomen.
The police have recorded the arrest of eight people and are questioning one person who reportedly removed evidence, including a CCTV camera, as well as deleted several messages on the phones of the accused.
Among the arrested are the house owner and his relatives.
Police could not trace too many details about Rajesh as he had reached Malappuram only two days ago.
With IANS inputs