Bengaluru: Mobile phone robber caught, severely beaten; thief then dies from injuries

Caught in the act of stealing, a 28-year-old phone thief was beaten severely by members of the public on Sunday and he died from the injuries at the hospital on Tuesday.

Kothanur police have booked a murder case and are searching for those who beat up Salman, a Tannery Road resident.

A senior police officer said that Salman and two of his associates were on a two-wheeler and tried to steal the mobile phone of a person walking on the roadside. When the victim raised the alarm, passersby came to his rescue and caught Salman. His two associates left the bike and fled the scene.

Salman was taken to Doddagubbi Road, where he was beaten severely by members of the public near the Gavigudi Temple. Passersby called the police control room and alerted them about the incident.

Salman was found by Kothanur police lying on the roadside and severely bleeding. They shifted him to a local hospital. After he was given first aid, Salman was shifted to Nimhans and later to KC General Hospital. On Tuesday, Salman died from his injuries. Revealing that Salman had a couple of theft cases against him, the police official said that efforts were on to nab the people who beat him up.

“We’re collecting CCTV footage to identify the accused,” he said.