Boy lynched on theft suspicion

The victim, identified as Arjun Manjhi, was paraded through the streets before being beaten up. He succumbed to his injuries before the police reached the spot. The police have sent the body for autopsy and lodged an FIR against unknown persons.

A 17-year-old boy was lynched by a mob on suspicions of theft in Gaya’s Kalyanpur area on Monday.

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The victim, identified as Arjun Manjhi, was paraded through the streets before being beaten up. He succumbed to his injuries before the police reached the spot. The police have sent the body for autopsy and lodged an FIR against unknown persons.

As per local residents, four thieves entered the house of Jitendra Kumar, an LIC agent, in Delha on Sunday night. One of the family members woke up and raised an alarm. Soon after, Kumar’s neighbours assembled and caught two thieves while the other two managed to escape. Of the two who were caught, one managed to escape as well, leaving Manjhi at the mercy of the mob, who began to beat him up.

Manjhi’s mother Putur Devi said her son worked in Bhutan and had returned to Gaya recently. On Sunday, three of Manjhi’s friends came to his house and took him away with them. She said her son was not a thief and urged the SSP to look into the case personally.

The three friends of Manjhi are absconding, the police said.

SSP Rajeev Mishra said, “Everything would be clear once we get the statements of his friends with whom he had gone out on Sunday night.”