Man accused of robbery attempt in Nagpur's Prithvirajnagar dies after mob beating

A robbery attempt in Nagpur's Prithvirajnagar area on Tuesday afternoon ended with the death of one of the accused. In the incident, which took place within the limits of Beltarodi police station, locals caught two accused and beat them severely. One escaped when he got the chance, while the other was beaten so badly that he was critically injured. He was declared dead during treatment.

The deceased has been identified as Sumedh Rajendra Gajbhiye (28), a resident of New Narsala. Cases of theft have been registered against him earlier. His alleged accomplice, Deepak Patil, is said to be absconding.

Sumedh and Deepak reached the house of Usha Dharmik at around 2.30 pm on Tuesday. Both were wearing T-shirts of the company Swiggy. They said they were delivery boys and called Usha outside on the pretext of delivering a parcel. At the time, Usha and her daughter-in-law were sleeping in the house.

It is alleged that Sumedh held a knife to Usha's neck and asked her to hand over all her jewellery, including her gold chain. When her daughter-in-law came out, the accused threatened her too. As there was a small child in the house, the daughter-in-law said she would leave the child inside. Once inside, she bolted the door from within and phoned her husband to tell him everything.

Usha's son runs a cake shop at Omkarnagar Chowk. On getting the call, he immediately asked his friends living nearby to reach the house and himself set out for home. A search for the accused then began.

Locals reportedly caught both accused on the spot but, instead of handing them over to the police, the crowd began beating them. Deepak fled when he got a chance, but Sumedh was surrounded by people and was badly beaten.

Meanwhile, someone informed the police. The beat marshals of Beltarodi police station reached the spot as soon as they got the information. With tension high there, they asked for additional staff and a larger vehicle to take the accused away. By the time officers and personnel arrived, people were still beating Sumedh.

Although the beating was severe, no marks of injuries were visible on Sumedh's body. He was therefore taken to Beltarodi police station. After some time, his condition worsened at the station itself and he lost consciousness, leaving the police flustered. He was rushed to the Medical hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

It has also been learnt that the police first took the injured youth to the police station instead of taking him directly to hospital. The police have flatly denied this. Along with the mob beating, whether the injured accused received timely treatment is now also under investigation.

The police have detained three local residents for questioning. On learning of the incident, senior police officers also reached the spot and the police station and took stock of the matter. The police are currently registering a case of accidental death. Further action will be taken after all aspects are examined.