Malad locals lynch thief

Mateen Hafeez I TNN

Mumbai: Residents of Orlem in Malad (W) took the law into their own hands and lynched a suspected thief early on Saturday. Being punched and slapped by a group of people proved fatal for the person, while two of his associates managed to escape from the residents, against whom the police have registered a case of murder.

The incident occurred around 2 am at S B Nagar near the BMC ground on Orlem Church Tank Road in Malad (W). According to a resident, they spotted three persons skulking around in the locality. Suspecting that they were up to no good, the residents tried to confront them, but the trio started running away. While two of them did manage to flee, the angry mob nabbed the third one. Immediately a crowd gathered at the spot and some suggested that the suspected thief be tied to an electric pole. “Most of those present there started bashing him. They punched and slapped him repeatedly, causing him serious internal injuries,’’ a resident said. Meanwhile, someone called the police and the thief, bleeding profusely, was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead. “We are trying to identify the body and a postmortem report is awaited,’’ said assistant commissioner of police Ramchandra Aher.

Justifying their act, the residents said they took the matter in their hands as the police had earlier turned a deaf ear to all their complaints of theft in the area. “Once I nabbed a thief and handed him over to the police for stealing imitation jewellery from a shop,’’ said a Mohalla committee member. Kailash Sawant from the area said, “The gangs would make away with bicycles, water drums and everything kept outside houses. We have been complaining to the police but they hardly pay any heed. Whatever happened on Saturday morning was the result of the residents’ pent-up anger,’’ he said.

However rubbishing the allegation, the police said though theft was common in S B Nagar, they had always taken appropriate action against the culprit. “The police are recording the statements of eye-witnesses and are making a thorough inquiries before arresting anyone,’’ said police inspector Deepak Fatangre.

LEGAL ANGLE
Those convicted of lynching can face charges ranging from culpable homicide to murder under the provisions of the IPC. The family of the deceased can also approach the authorities to seek compensation. TNN

The Times of India, December 13, 2009