Amid lockdown, villagers lynch 3 at Gandchinchle village in Maharashtra

Palghar (Maharashtra): In a shocker during lockdown, three persons were lynched to death and some policemen were injured by a huge mob of villagers outside Gandchinchle village after they were suspected to be robbers, the police said here on Friday.

At least three vehicles, including two belonging to the police, were damaged in the incident and additional forces were rushed to the site to control the situation.

According to an official, the three victims, including the driver, were proceeding from Nashik to Mumbai when they were accosted by the mob and questioned.

The driver managed to summon the police, which rushed to the spot on the Dhabade-Khanvel Road, said Anandrao Kale of Kasa police station.

The officers took the trio into the police van for inquiry even as the crowd protested and demanded action against “the robbers”.

The mob, said to be around 200, grossly outnumbered the police and soon started assaulting the three victims with stones, sticks and other objects.

The three have been identified as Sushilgiri Maharaj, Chikne Maharaj and the driver, Nilesh Telgade. They were later pronounced dead and their bodies have been sent for autopsy to a local government hospital, a Palghar Police spokesperson informed IANS.

Even some policemen were injured in the incident. By Friday evening, over a 100 persons have been detained and investigations are on.

The Kasa Police have registered offences of murder, armed rioting, violating prohibitory orders besides invoking sections of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and Epidemic Diseases Act.

The district authorities, including Collector Kailas Shinde and Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh, have briefed the state government on the incident.

The district police followed up by issuing public appeals to the villagers, urging them not to resort to violence against any unknown persons visiting the village but immediately inform the police.

The latest incident came three days after the vehicle of a prominent medic, Vishwas Salvi, was similarly attacked when he was proceeding to conduct thermal screening of villagers and distribute relief food materials.

In that incident, four policemen were injured, and later a dozen persons were arrested. (IANS)

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