Dhule lynching: Main accused in police net

Mumbai: Four days after five persons were lynched in Dhule on suspicions that they were child-lifters, the Dhule police has arrested a key accused who allegedy led the mob’s attack on the victims. The accused, Maharu Pawar (22), had beaten the five with a rod and was arrested from Nandurbar where he was hiding, according to the police.

The police, which has arrested 24 accused so far in the case, is conducting a search for at least 20 more suspects who were part of the mob attack. Dhule’s superintendent of police, M. Ramkumar said, “Maharu Pawar is the main accused in the case, he was seen beating the five men with a rod in mobile clips that went viral.” He said, “We will question him to find out if he was the one who instigated the mob attack.”

A group of villagers in Rainpada had killed five people on Sunday suspecting them to be part of a gang of “child lifters”. The villagers allegedly attacked them when one of them tried to speak to a girl. Rumours about the presence of a gang of kidnappers had spread in the area in the previous few days, police said.     

According to the police, the victims were landless labourers who had arrived from Solapur to seek alms at the weekly bazaar in the village. The deceased were identified as Bharat Shankar Bhosale, Dadarao Shankar Bhosale, Raju Bhosale and Bharat Malwe, all from Khave village in Solapur district, and Anagu Ingole from Manewadi village in the district.