LUCKNOW: A mob of angry villagers on Monday caught hold of a murder suspect and thrashed him to death in Kushinagar district in eastern UP.
The assailant was trying to flee the spot after committing the crime. The incident took place in Rampur Bangra area of the Taryasujan police station area after a man, who worked as a teacher, was shot dead by the assailant at his residence.
After shooting at the teacher, the accused climbed the roof of the house of the deceased and started firing in the air. As the police arrived on the spot to take the murder-accused into custody, the news of the teacher’s murder spread like wildfire leading to outrage among the villagers. They gathered and cornered the assailant and lynched him in front of policemen.
As per the eyewitness account, the attacker tried to surrender when he saw the police but was soon attacked by the mob. Angry villagers thrashed the miscreant with sticks in the presence of the cops. The police team, led by CO Tamkuhiraj, tried to intervene many times but failed to save the man.
Panic gripped the village after the horrific incident and the situation continued to remain tense. SP Vinod Kumar Mishra said that the case was being investigated and strict action would be taken against the culprits.
“On Monday morning, a person opened fire at a family. While he was trying to escape, the locals caught him and thrashed him. Till police could rescue him, he was dead. His weapon has been seized and further investigation is underway,” said the SP.
The teacher, identified as Sudhir Singh, was the son of one Mohar Singh. According to the villagers, Singh was shot thrice by the attacker while he was asleep and died on the spot. Some villagers alleged that despite the information being conveyed to the police, they reached the spot over an hour after the incident.