Balasore: Odisha Police arrested three persons in Balasore district and launched a manhunt to nab others allegedly involved in the lynching of a man suspected of being involved in cattle smuggling in the state, an officer said Friday.
Balasore Sadar area Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Subhranshu Sekhar Nayak said that the incident took place Wednesday.
Initially, a complaint was made regarding a road mishap, and later, the victim’s brother, in a written complaint, alleged that Sk Makandar Mahammad (35) of Astia village died due to mob attack. Two FIRs were registered at Balasore Sadar police station, he said.
“We have arrested three persons, and they have been forwarded to judicial custody on Thursday. The police have launched a search operation to arrest others involved in the mob attack,” the SDPO told PTI.
The accused persons were booked under Section 103(2) (murder committed by a mob) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to the police, a 35-year-old man was allegedly attacked by a group of people who suspected him of smuggling cattle. The man later succumbed to his injuries in the Balasore headquarters hospital, police said.
According to a written complaint by his family, deceased Sk Makandar Mahamad was working as a helper in a pick-up van. When the vehicle was on its way near Sahada village under Sadar police station limit January 14, a group of people armed with sharp weapons stopped the van carrying cattle and attacked the driver and helper.
Both the driver and helper were seriously injured in the attack, and Sk Makandar Mahamad died at the hospital on the same day, police said.
The police rescued the cattle and released them at the Maa Bharati Goshala.
However, tension prevailed in the area, prompting police to intervene and nabbed three persons in connection with the attack on the van driver and helper. The Balasore district administration has sanctioned Rs 20,000 from the Red Cross Fund to the deceased’s family and assured that all the accused involved in the crime would be booked soon.
PTI
