4 mall guards suspended for assaulting teen

BENGALURU: The Mantri Mall management on Tuesday said it has suspended four security guards for illegally detaining and assaulting a 15-year-old boy after they suspected him of being a mobile thief.
Mantri Developers, in a statement, regretted the incident. “We will continue to work with police for a fair investigation and ensure justice for the victim. Pending investigation, the delinquents have been suspended from service,” it said. TOI had reported the incident on Tuesday.

Suspected to be thief

According to police, the teenager was spotted moving around in a suspicious manner near the cellphone charging unit on the second floor of the mall recently. The guards assumed he was a thief and took him to the basement for questioning. Four guards allegedly assaulted the boy with sticks and electrical wires. Cops had issued notices to the persons concerned in the mall to appear before Malleswaram police for investigation.

Stern warning issued

The mall management stated that it h as issued a stern warning to its staff to deal with such incidents as per company policy. “The company has taken necessary disciplinary action in accordance with the law against the agency staff,” the statement read.

“The security staff have not appeared before us for questioning till Tuesday evening. We will arrest them if they fail to obey our notice,” Malleswaram police said.