Mumbai auto driver lynched for stealing phone from shop
Sandhya Nair | TNN | Updated: Mar 25, 2019, 05:48 IST
Representative imageMUMBAI: An autorickshaw driver was beaten to death by a mob after they allegedly caught him stealing a mobile phone from a shop in Naigaon on Saturday. The Valiv police have booked three men for murder.
While eyewitnesses told the police that the victim, Naseem Shaikh (38), was caught stealing the phone, cops are checking if there was some misunderstanding. The police said Shaikh already has a case of theft registered against him at Tuling police station.
The incident took place on Saturday, when Shaikh ferried a passenger to Asha Nagar in Naigaon (E) along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway. According to the police, after dropping the passenger, Shaikh loitered in the area and then entered a shop where he was caught stealing a phone. As locals raised an alarm, a mob soon gathered and assaulted Shaikh with leather belts and iron rods. They also damaged his autorickshaw. Eyewitnesses told the police that Shaikh pleaded for mercy, but the mob rained blows and kicks on him till he collapsed. Eyewitnesses said the assault lasted 30 minutes.
On receiving a call about the lynching, the police rushed to the spot and found Shaikh lying in a pool of blood. He was taken to hospital, but declared dead before arrival. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination. Sources said he had suffered severe head injuries in the assault.
Based on eyewitness accounts and CCTV footage retrieved from the spot, the Valiv police registered a case of murder against Rambabu Sahani, Amar Sahani and Rahul Kumar and also detained two men for questioning.
Shaikh lived in Pragati Nagar in Nalasopara (E) with his wife and children. Shaikh’s family told the police that he was the sole breadwinner and would ply his autorickshaw in the Vasai-Virar region.
This incident brings back focus on mob violence and vigilantism. In July 2018, following a spate of lynching incidents, especially by gau rakshaks, the Supreme Court had recommended that Parliament “create a separate offence for lynching and provide adequate punishment for the same” to deter mob crimes that often target innocents.
While eyewitnesses told the police that the victim, Naseem Shaikh (38), was caught stealing the phone, cops are checking if there was some misunderstanding. The police said Shaikh already has a case of theft registered against him at Tuling police station.
The incident took place on Saturday, when Shaikh ferried a passenger to Asha Nagar in Naigaon (E) along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway. According to the police, after dropping the passenger, Shaikh loitered in the area and then entered a shop where he was caught stealing a phone. As locals raised an alarm, a mob soon gathered and assaulted Shaikh with leather belts and iron rods. They also damaged his autorickshaw. Eyewitnesses told the police that Shaikh pleaded for mercy, but the mob rained blows and kicks on him till he collapsed. Eyewitnesses said the assault lasted 30 minutes.
On receiving a call about the lynching, the police rushed to the spot and found Shaikh lying in a pool of blood. He was taken to hospital, but declared dead before arrival. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination. Sources said he had suffered severe head injuries in the assault.
Based on eyewitness accounts and CCTV footage retrieved from the spot, the Valiv police registered a case of murder against Rambabu Sahani, Amar Sahani and Rahul Kumar and also detained two men for questioning.
Shaikh lived in Pragati Nagar in Nalasopara (E) with his wife and children. Shaikh’s family told the police that he was the sole breadwinner and would ply his autorickshaw in the Vasai-Virar region.
This incident brings back focus on mob violence and vigilantism. In July 2018, following a spate of lynching incidents, especially by gau rakshaks, the Supreme Court had recommended that Parliament “create a separate offence for lynching and provide adequate punishment for the same” to deter mob crimes that often target innocents.
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