MH-LYNCHING

A 70-year-old man from Vasai in

Palghar district of Maharashtra was allegedly lynched by a

group of nine people over a complaint of theft he had lodged

against some of them, police said Saturday.

Police have so far arrested eight persons in

connection with the incident that took place late Friday

evening in Rangaon area of Vasai, an official of the district

rural police said.

Following the attack, the victim, Ramchandra Raut, was

rushed to a local hospital, where he was declared brought

dead, police said.

"The accused came to Raut's house late last evening

and questioned him why he had lodged a complaint with the

police that some of them had stolen his pigeons. While one of

them allegedly strangled him, others rained blows on him and

kicked him," Hemant Kumar Katkar, spokesperson of Palghar

district rural police, said.

Raut had complained to the police on Friday morning,

he added.

After the incident, one of the relatives of Raut

lodged a complaint against the accused at Vasai police

station.

They were booked under IPC sections 302 (murder), 452

(house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or

wrongful restraint), 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting),

323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with

intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal

intimidation) and others, police said.

"Police have arrested eight accused so far," the

official said adding that further investigation into the case

was on.