TUMAKURU: A man who had allegedly tried to steal a goat was beaten to death by a gang of five landlords and others at Jogenahalli near Doddamaluru in Madhugiri taluk in the early hours of Tuesday.
The victim has been identified as Krishanappa (40), a dalit of Mannuru in Madakashira taluk of Andhra Pradesh. Police are interrogating accused Ramareddy, his sons Babu and Nagaraju. Krishnappa, along with three others, had come to Ramareddy’s house around 3 am to allegedly steal goats. Ramareddy and others woke up and saw Krishnappa dragging one of the goats.
Sensing danger, Krishnappa’s companions managed to escape in a vehicle in the dark where as Krishnappa was caught. The accused tied him to a tree and beat him up severely with wooden logs.
Based on a tip-off, Madhugiri police team led by inspector Narasimhamurthy visited the spot and recovered the body. Relatives of the victim and a few dalit leaders laid siege to the Kodigenahalli police station and demanded action against the accused.
Following the complaint by the victim’s elder brother Govindaraju, police have registered a case and taken up investigation.