5 held in Mumbai for beating man to death after mistaking him for thief

The deceased person later turned out to be the brother of a police officer at Santa Cruz, they said.

The Mumbai police arrested five people who allegedly assaulted a man to death by mistaking him as a thief in Borivali. (File photo)

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The Mumbai police Friday arrested five people who allegedly assaulted a man to death by mistaking him as a thief in Borivali on Thursday, said officials. Later, the deceased person, identified as Sachin Kale alias Praveen Lahane, 29, turned out to be the brother of a police officer, they said.

The police at the Kasturba Marg station have registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and rioting against six to seven people and arrested five of them after post-mortem report revealed that the person died of head injury.

According to the police, Lahane allegedly entered a housing society compound reportedly in an inebriated state around 1.30 am on Thursday. There was no one living at the ‘dilapidated’ society, they said.

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“Some locals who spotted Lahane mistook him as a robber, and then six people and a guard thrashed him badly. It has been alleged that one of the accused also used a blunt object to hit the ‘thief’,” said an officer.

After the police received a call its control room regarding the assault, the local police rushed to the spot and rescued the person.

“He was taken to the Shatabdi hospital and after primary medication, the police took him to the police station. Lahane collapsed at the police station. He died on the way while being taken to the hospital,” said a senior police officer.

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DCP (Zone 12) Smita Patil said that the body was sent to JJ Hospital for post-mortem. “We have arrested five people under sections 304(2), 143, 144, 147, 148, 149 of Indian Penal Code 37(1)(a) and 135 of Maharashtra Police. They would be produced before a court. We are on the lookout for others,” the officer said.

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The deceased’s brother A P I Prakash Lahane is posted at Santa Cruz police station.

Pravin suffered financial loss during the pandemic and went to his village and would visit Mumbai on and off.

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