Mumbai: Four people were arrested for lynching a man who had entered a mosque Sector 23, Nerul to allegedly commit theft. Police said Yunus Yusuf Khan (23), a Chembur resident, was beaten up by residents after he was caught in the mosque around 3 a.m. on Saturday. The mosque is preferred by NRIs.
Police said Mr. Khan was first spotted by a maulana, who was sleeping on the premises. Responding to his call, residents of Dream Horizon housing society near the mosque dragged him out and assaulted him. An officer said at least 12 people beat up Mr. Khan, who allegedly confessed to having planned on picking pockets of NRI visitors. “He also said he has stolen mobile phones from the mosque on earlier occasions, which he sold to a shop in Chembur. The mob tied him to the chimney of the kitchen of Hotel Chillies.”
The police were alerted around 10 a.m., and reached the spot to find Mr Khan unconscious and tied to the pole. “We rushed him to Vashi NMMC hospital where he died while receiving treatment. He had received multiple injuries," the officer said. He said Mr. Khan had stolen the keys to a toilet from the watchman of Dream Horizon housing society when he was asleep, and entered the mosque through a narrow gap leading from the toilet. “Mr. Khan used a knife to cut the watchman’s pocket.”
Eyewitnesses told the police that Mr. Khan had been spotted in the mosque’s vicinity twice earlier. He was found to be abusing whitener fluid and was asked to leave the premises. “The deceased was a thief as he had confessed to the mob, which lynched him in anger. They should have informed us,” a police officer said.
Senior PI Ashok Rajput, Nerul police station, said a case of murder, unlawful assembly and rioting using weapons has been registered against the detained individuals identified as Salman Ifteqar Kondakari (32), Wahid Gulam Hussain Dandekar (25), Zaid Mustaq Peerkhan (23) and Hufeza Anwar Shaikh (21), all residents of Darave village in sector 23, along with 12 unidentified men. “We are asking eyewitnesses to identify the remaining accused. They will be arrested soon.”
