BERHAMPUR: A 40-year-old man was allegedly beaten up by an angry mob over theft suspicion, at Sardula village in Ganjam’s Bhanjanagar area late on Friday night. He, however, succumbed to his injuries during treatment on Saturday, officials said.
The deceased was identified as Banadhar Pradhan of Kurumungia village under G Udaygiri police limits in Kandhamal district. Police have arrested 20 people in this connection.
Sources said a group of miscreants had entered Sardula village late on Friday night, allegedly to commit theft. However, their movement in the area during such odd hours drew suspicion among some villagers who had woken up to answer nature’s call.
They raised an alarm and tried to nab the anti-socials but the latter managed to flee. The villagers, however, caught hold of Banadhar, assuming he was a part of the gang, and tied him to a pole. They then allegedly beat him up severely with wooden planks.
Banadhar sustained grievous injuries on his legs, hands and other parts of the body in the assault. Police rushed to the spot and took Banadhar to Bhanjanagar sub-divisional hospital where he succumbed during treatment on Saturday morning.
Assistant superintendent of police Ranjan Kumar Dey said the body was seized and sent for postmortem. Further investigation is on to ascertain if the deceased was a part of the thieves’ gang and under what circumstances was he held.