Nagpur: Suspected thief caught after home robbery dies, police rule out mob assault for now

One of two thieves who broke into a house in the Beltarodi police station area of Nagpur died later in suspicious circumstances. The robbery took place yesterday, September 29, in the afternoon at the Dharmik family's house in Model Mill Colony.

Only Usha Dharmik and her daughter-in-law, Pranali Dharmik, were at home at the time. The two thieves entered posing as Zomato delivery boys. Inside, they first pushed Usha Dharmik around and threatened her with a knife. They then demanded her jewellery.

Hearing the noise, the daughter-in-law came out of an inner room. One of the thieves showed her the knife too and told her to hand over her valuables. She acted sensibly, went straight back into the inner room and bolted the door from inside. She then phoned neighbours to tell them that thieves had entered the house. By then the thieves had snatched gold jewellery from the older woman and fled.

A few minutes later, locals who were searching for the thieves saw two suspicious men leaving the area, their clothes changed. They caught one of them and questioned him. His evasive answers deepened their suspicion.

Police were called immediately. They took him into custody and first brought him to the police station. His health suddenly worsened there, so he was taken to a government medical hospital, where doctors declared him dead. The deceased is Sumedh Gajbhiye, and according to police records he has been involved in theft cases before.

After his death, talk spread that he died from a beating by the crowd. Police have rejected this. They say that, prima facie, the accused's death is likely to be natural. For now, police have registered an accidental death entry in the case.

Police claim that no clear injury was found on the accused's body when he was taken into custody. CCTV footage from the spot also does not show him being beaten. According to police, he admitted to the theft during initial questioning. The exact cause of death will be clear only after the post-mortem report is received. Police have appealed to people not to trust rumours.

On the other hand, the local corporator claims that people did their duty by catching the thief. According to the corporator, some people did hit him while catching him, but he was conscious and in good condition until he was handed over to police. How he died will emerge from the police investigation.