Jharkhand: Man beaten to death over theft suspicion
Medininagar (Jharkhand) (PTI): A 22-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death by a group of people after they suspected him of trying to steal a battery from a vehicle in Jharkhand's Palamu district, police said on Sunday.
One of the accused has been detained, a police officer said.
The incident occurred in Teliyahi village in Padwa police station area late on Saturday night. The deceased has been identified as Pawan Ram, a resident of Murma village in the same police station area.
Palamu Superintendent of Police Reeshma Ramesan told PTI that upon receiving information around 12.30 am that a man accused of trying to steal the battery of a vehicle has been caught, a patrolling team reached the spot and found that the victim had been tied up and beaten up by the villagers.
Police rescued him and took him to the nearest hospital, where he was declared brought dead, she said.
"The police have detained one accused so far. It is also suspected that the victim might have gone there to meet his lover and was caught by villagers, who accused him of trying to steal the battery of a tractor. Further investigation is underway," she added.
A medical board is conducting the post-mortem examination of the deceased in the presence of a magistrate. The entire process is being videographed and photographed, the SP said.
Medininagar Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Rajesh Kumar told PTI that the detained person has been identified as Paras Nath Mehta (35), and a manhunt has been launched to nab the others.
The SDPO said it is a clear case of mob lynching and the police have lodged an FIR under Section 103(2) of the BNS and other sections.
The police have not recovered any stolen battery from him, he added.
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Four Iranian crew on boat caught with Rs 5 cr foreign cigarettes off Gujarat coast
Ahmedabad (PTI): The Indian Coast Guard has intercepted a foreign boat in the Arabian Sea off Gujarat and apprehended four Iranian nationals after seizing 200 cartons of foreign brand cigarettes valued nearly Rs 5 crore, the ICG said on Sunday.
The operation was carried out on Saturday off the Dwarka coast where a vessel, identified as Al Mukhtar and manned by four Iranian crew, was found concealing 200 cartons containing about one lakh packets of foreign brand cigarettes.
The international market value of the consignment is estimated at Rs 2.5 crore to Rs 5 crore, the ICG said in a post on X.
The boat was being escorted to Porbandar in Gujarat for further investigation and joint interrogation of the crew by security agencies, it added.
"On 21 Feb 26, @IndiaCoastGuard ship intercepted a suspicious foreign boat inside the #Indian #EEZ, approximately 115 NM west of #Dwarka. The vessel, identified as Al Mukhtar, was manned by four #Iranian crew. On rummaging, 200 cartons containing about one lakh packets of foreign brand cigarettes were discovered concealed in the holds," it said.
Earlier, the ICG and Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) in a joint operation on February 16 apprehended two Iranian nationals with more than 200 kg of suspicious narcotics off the Gujarat coast.
