Mistaken for thieves, 3 lynched to death by 200-strong mob in Maharashtra’s Palghar

According to the police, the mob in Kasa in Maharashtra’s Palghar district mistook the occupants of the Ecco van to be thieves and lynched them to death.

Three unidentified people were lynched to death by a 200-strong mob of tribals in Maharashtra’s Palghar district late on Thursday night, police said, in the second such attack within three days.

The vehicle in which the victims were travelling.(HT Photo)

Police in Kasa detained 30 people on Friday morning though no arrest has been made so far.

According to the police, the mob mistook the occupants of the Ecco van to be thieves and lynched them to death.

Anandrao Kale, an assistant police inspector (API) with Kasa police station, said the van was coming from Nashik when it was stopped by the irate mob near Gadhchinchale village on Dabhadi-Khanwel road.

Kale said the mob started to question the passengers and pulled them out of the van and started beating them. The driver managed to call the police and a team rushed to the spot, said Kale.

“The mob was strong and we tried to save the passengers but it also targeted us and started to pelt stones while beating them and as a result, the trio succumbed to their injuries,” the API said.

“We rushed them to the Kasa government hospital but were declared dead before admission,” Kale said, adding they were waiting for the post mortem report.

The police official said they have registered cases under section 188 (disobedience), section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Disaster Management Act, 2005, and Epidemic Diseases Act,1897, against the detained people.

“We will arrest them shortly,” said Kale.

Three days ago, four personnel of Kasa Police, including API Kale, were injured and the SUV of a skin specialist Dr Vishwas Walwi of Thane was destroyed at Saarni village by a mob.

At least 250 people had attacked them when Dr Walwi was returning home after distributing food grains and conducting a small door-to-door thermal screening of tribals.

Fifteen people were arrested in connection with the incident and kept in police remand.