Minor says he was thrashed by mall guards, files complaint

BENGALURU: A 15-year-old boy was reportedly detained and assaulted by four security guards at Mantri Mall after they suspected him of being a mobile thief. The minor was allegedly thrashed with sticks and electrical wires.
The incident took place around 6pm on Friday and a complaint was lodged with Malleswaram police the next day. According to cops, the teenager was spotted moving around in a suspicious manner near the cellphone charging unit on the second floor of the mall. The guards assumed he was a thief and took him to the basement for questioning.

In his complaint, the boy said he was waiting at the charging unit as others had plugged in their phones. He stated: “They accused me of being a mobile thief. I tried to convince them that I was waiting there to charge my phone, but they didn’t listen and dragged me to the parking lot and assaulted me.” Malleswaram police have registered a case of assault and illegal detention against unknown security personnel. “Guards are not authorized to assault anyone even if the latter has committed an offence. We are verifying the boy’s claims,” police said.