Haveri, March 25:  A 10-year-old boy was lynched in Karnataka for allegedly stealing snacks from a grocery store. The incident took place in the Uppanashi area of the state’s Haveri district on March 16. The boy’s family members alleged that he was held captive and was beaten up by the owners of the shop. He was released after pleased with the owners of the grocery shop. Mob Lynching in Uttar Pradesh: 2 Men Thrashed on Suspicion of Being Thieves; 1 Dead.

According to a report published in Hindustan Times, the boy’s health deteriorated on the same night. He was to a hospital in Haveri. However, the boy was referred to the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in Hubballi. He succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday. The postmortem report was still awaited. An official of the KIMS told the media house on the condition of anonymity that the victim developed a fever during the treatment and died due to a brain haemorrhage. Delhi Lynching: 18-Year-Old Boy Beaten to Death Over Affair in Adarsh Nagar; Case of Dispute Between Two Families, Say Police.

An FIR has been lodged against four people - shopkeeper Pavan Karishettar, his mother Basavannevva Karishettar and two more relatives. All the accused are absconding. The case of murder, wrongful restraint, and assault was registered. Before his death, the boy named four accused in his statement. According to the boy’s statement, he was first locked up in a room and was hit by the shopkeeper and his two relatives.

Notably, on March 17, the boy’s father, Nagayya Hiremath, had lodged a complaint against the owners of the shop. The boy’s father, in his complaint, had said that when his son did not return home for over two hours from the grocery store, he went there. He found out that his son was in shopkeeper’s custody and was beaten up on suspicion of stealing snacks, Hiremath added. He told the police that the boy was released in the evening when his wife went to the store and pleaded to release their son. On March 17, the police reportedly took a written statement from Hiremath.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 25, 2021 12:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).