Man lynched in Nizamabad over temple theft suspicion

HYDERABAD: A 25-year-old mason was lynched allegedly by a group of villagers on the suspicion of committing a theft at a temple in Dharmaram in Nizamabad district. Makloor police on Tuesday registered a case of murder, but no arrests have been made yet.
The victim, who was identified as G Gangadhar, a resident of Arsapally, sustained severe injuries when villagers thrashed him on Monday night and died while undergoing treatment at Nizamabad Government General Hospital on Tuesday.“He sustained injuries on hands and legs but died of internal injuries on Tuesday morning at around 8.15 am,” a police official said.
Assistant commissioner of police, Nizamabad, G Srinivas Kumar said Gangadhar broke open the lock of Mahalaxmi temple with a hammer to commit a theft when he was caught by the villagers. “He was kicked repeatedly and beaten up with sticks. He was rushed to GGH with multiple internal injuries,” he said.
The ACP said four theft cases were registered against Gangadhar in 2012 and 2013. “A suspect sheet was also maintained against Gangadhar,” he said.
Victim’s wife Lakshmi reportedly received a phone call on Monday night that her husband was caught trying to commit a theft and beaten up before being shifted to a hospital. Lakshmi along with her relatives upon reaching GGH found her husband dead.
Based on a complaint from Lakshmi, a case of murder was registered.