Septuagenarian beaten to death in Maha, eight held

A 70-year-old man from Vasai in Palghar district of Maharashtra was allegedly lynched by a group of nine people over a complaint of theft he had lodged against some of them, police said Saturday.

Police have so far arrested eight persons in connection with the incident that took place late Friday evening in Rangaon area of Vasai, an official of the district rural police said.

Following the attack, the victim, Ramchandra Raut, was rushed to a local hospital, where he was declared brought dead, police said.

"The accused came to Raut's house late last evening and questioned him why he had lodged a complaint with the police that some of them had stolen his pigeons. While one of them allegedly strangled him, others rained blows on him and kicked him," Hemant Kumar Katkar, spokesperson of Palghar district rural police, said.

Raut had complained to the police on Friday morning, he added.

After the incident, one of the relatives of Raut lodged a complaint against the accused at Vasai police station.

They were booked under IPC sections 302 (murder), 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and others, police said.

"Police have arrested eight accused so far," the official said adding that further investigation into the case was on.