A 21-year-old man with nine previous criminal involvements died after he and his associates were allegedly thrashed by a group of people over suspicion of attempting theft in Shahbad Dairy area of outernorth Delhi, police said on Tuesday.
The deceased has been identified as Hasan Mangal.
According to police, information was received around 7 am that a group of suspected thieves had been mobbed by public in Shahbad Dairy police station area.
A police team reached the spot and found three people injured. They were shifted to a hospital, where Mangal was declared brought dead, while the two others are undergoing treatment, officials said.
They said Mangal had nine previous criminal involvements and was designated ‘bad character’ by Narela Industrial Area police station.
“According to preliminary information, around four to five suspicious people had entered the area with the intention of committing theft and were possibly trying to break open the lock of a shop. Hearing the noise, local residents came out and caught the suspected thieves,” a police officer said.
While some of them managed to flee, three of the suspects were caught by locals, and subsequently thrashed, the officer said, adding that Mangal sustained serious injuries and later declared dead.
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The officer said a crime team has inspected the scene and collected evidence. Investigators have also collected CCTV footage from surrounding areas to establish the sequence of events and identify those involved.
Five suspects have so far been apprehended so far in connection with the alleged thrashing, police said.
A case is being registered and further legal action will be taken on the basis of facts and evidence collected during the investigation, along with medical opinion and the post-mortem report, police said.
Police are also investigating the alleged attempt to break into the shop, and the role of the other suspected thieves who fled from the spot.
