Gurugram: Man beaten to death for resisting phone snatching; 3 arrested

The victim, a housekeeping worker, was found bleeding an hour later and later died at PGIMS Rohtak after being referred from a civil hospital.

Three suspects were arrested from Nathupur in DLF Phase-III on Monday for beating a man to death after he resisted a mobile phone snatching attempt by chasing them, police said.

Police said the assault occurred late night near a liquor shop. The suspects allegedly fled, leaving the victim critically injured. (HT)

The accused were identified as Naresh Kumar, 24, a resident of Madhubani; Raju Kumar Jha, 28, from Saharsa; and Vipin Kumar, 23, from Darbhanga in Bihar, police said. All three were living in Nathupur, officers said, adding that a fourth suspect involved in the crime is yet to be arrested.

According to police, the victim, Birbal Oraon, 28, a native of Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, also lived in Nathupur and worked as a housekeeping staff member in a private firm in DLF Phase II. Police said the incident took place near Nathupur mandi on the intervening night of January 13 and 14, when Oraon was returning to his accommodation while speaking to his family on his mobile phone.

Sandeep Turan, public relations officer of Gurugram police, said the four suspects were standing near a liquor shop when they snatched Oraon’s phone. “Oraon entered into an argument and asked them to return it. The suspects tried to flee, but Oraon chased them when he was assaulted,” he said.

Turan said the attackers picked up bricks and large stone blocks lying by the roadside and struck Oraon multiple times on the head. “They had also punched him several times in both the eyes, leaving them swollen,” he added.

Investigators said the suspects fled the spot, leaving Oraon in a pool of blood. Locals noticed him nearly an hour later and rushed him to the Sector 10A civil hospital. He was later referred to PGIMS Rohtak, where doctors performed brain surgery in an attempt to stabilise him. Oraon, however, succumbed to his injuries on Friday.

Police said they received information about the assault from the civil hospital on January 15 and sent a team to Rohtak to record Oraon’s statement, but he was on ventilator support.

After his death, police traced Oraon’s identity and contacted his family in West Bengal, who arrived in the city on Saturday and registered a murder case against unidentified suspects at the DLF Phase-III police station. “On the basis of technical investigation and CCTV footage, police finally arrested the trio and recovered Oraon’s phone from them,” Turan said.

Police said the accused will be produced before a court on Tuesday and taken on police remand for interrogation.