MANGALURU: A youth, yet to be identified, was lynched by a mob of over 25 men during a cricket match held near Bhatra Kallurti Temple in Kudupu, Mangaluru, on Sunday afternoon.
Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal said, “The incident took place on Sunday evening and initially a case of mysterious death was registered. Later, the post-mortem revealed that the youth had internal injuries on his back and died due to blood haemorrhage and shock.” He added, “The mob lynched the youth following a fight over some issues. The motive is still not known.”
On Sunday, the Mangaluru Rural Police Station received information about the discovery of an unidentified body near the Bhatra Kallurti Temple. Local police, along with senior officers, visited the scene and conducted a preliminary inspection. Crime scene investigators and mobile forensic teams were also called in.
Since there were no clearly visible or serious external injuries on the body, forensic experts recommended a post-mortem examination. A case of unnatural death (UDR) with suspicion was registered at Mangaluru Rural Police Station, and the body was shifted to the Wenlock District Hospital mortuary for examination.
To help identify the deceased, the police circulated the photograph of the body. Multiple teams were deployed to interrogate witnesses and suspects who were present at the scene, and to collect and analyse CCTV footage as well as mobile and tower dump data from the vicinity.
A post-mortem was conducted on Monday based on the growing suspicion of foul play. The preliminary autopsy report stated that the cause of death was internal bleeding and shock due to multiple strong blows to the back, coupled with lack of timely medical attention.
Investigations revealed that at around 3:00 PM on Sunday, during a cricket match near the temple grounds, the youth was assaulted by a group using hands, sticks and kicks. Though some bystanders tried to intervene, the mob continued the assault, leading to the youth’s death.
Following a complaint by Deepak Kumar (33), son of Late Ganesh Kumar and a resident of Keshava Compound, Kulasekhara Chowki, Mangaluru, a case was registered at the Mangaluru Rural Police Station under Crime No. 37/2025. Nineteen persons have been named in the FIR under Sections 103(2), 115(2), 189(2), 190, 191(1), 191(3), and 240 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS, 2023).
So far, 15 of the accused have been arrested, and efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining individuals.