Youth accused of theft beaten to death in Pune; 6 workers from residential project arrested

PUNE: A 17-year-old youth from Chakan succumbed to injuries on Friday night, four days after six workers allegedly assaulted him with plastic pipes in their labour camp in Dudulgaon near Dighi around 2pm on Aug 25."The minor and his two accomplices had entered the labour camp area with the intention of stealing valuables from the hutment of the workers," deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Bapu Bangar said on Saturday.On Aug 26, after the police received information that a person was tied and kept in confinement in a hut at a labour camp, they rescued the minor. He was moved to a hospital, where he died under medical attention around 11pm on Friday.

Following the youngster's death, his wife (17) lodged a complaint with the Dighi polic station.

The police arrested Anil Ram (33), Gautamkumar Prasad (22), Brijesh Prasad (24), Kamlesh Yadav (20), Shailendra Prasad (23) and Mannu (36) in this regard. "We registered a case of murder. All the arrested labourers are engaged in the construction of a residential project," he said.Bangar said some of the workers saw the minor and his accomplices entering one of the huts in the labour camp to steal valuables. "Two of them managed to flee the spot, but the workers managed to catch the deceased. They confined him to a hut and tied his hands and legs. They also beat him up," the officer said.