Angul: Angry residents thrashed a man after detaining him on suspicion of being a thief in Tubey village under Banarpal block in Angul district Saturday night.
The incident took place late in the night after some locals spotted an unidentified man moving near Dhipa Sahi school premise suspiciously.
They immediately detained him on suspicion of being a thief and started quizzing, during which he gave conflicting statements.
The angry villagers later tied the man near school premises and thrashed mercilessly.
Jarpada Police reached the spot later in the night and arrested the man.
A loot had taken place at the same school around three days ago, in which unidentified burglars had decamped with assets worth lakhs of rupees.
A case had also been lodged with Jarpada Police in connection with that incident. While police are still to arrest the looters, villagers have claimed that the man they have detained Saturday have some association with the earlier case.
PNN