Suspected thief thrashed to death by mob in Delhi's Pandav Nagar

New Delhi: A suspected thief has allegedly been beaten to death by a mob that caught him sneaking into a house in east Delhi's Pandav Nagar, police have said.

The deceased was identified as Salman (23), a resident of Loni in Ghaziabad, they said, adding he had fled his house with his friend Deepak.

According to police, the incident took place around 4 am on June 9 when Salman and another man tried to stealthily enter a house in Block C of Pandav Nagar area.

However, Salman was caught by the mob and brutally thrashed on suspicion of theft, while his accomplice managed to escape, the police said.

He was allegedly beaten up with sticks and stones, the police said, adding later, the mob picked him up and tied his hands and legs to poles and kept hitting him.

In a video that surfaced online, he was seen injured and lying on the ground with his limbs tied.

When people questioned him over his theft bid, he tried telling them that it was his first such attempt and that he works as a welder, police said.

Delhi Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mandeep Singh Randhawa said when a police team reached the spot, they found Salman lying in a drain.

He was taken to a government hospital and later discharged, Randhawa said on Thursday.

Salman was then brought to a police station for questioning but his condition worsened and he had to be rushed to a hospital again where he was declared brought dead, the officer said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Jasmeet Singh said a case was registered under Section 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code and one Rajesh Kumar has been arrested based on the CCTV footage.

A medical board has been constituted in connection with the incident while an investigation is underway, police said.