Jalgaon: Eight suspects have been arrested for the alleged kidnapping and mob lynching of 21-year-old Suleman Rahim Khan Pathan in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district, police said on Thursday.
The incident took place on Monday when the victim visited Jamner to complete online application for police recruitment.
According to police reports, Khan was sitting in a local cafe with a female acquaintance when 8-10 men forcibly took his mobile phone and assaulted him. The attackers then dragged him to their village, where they beat him unconscious with wooden clubs.
When Khan's relatives, including his 80-year-old grandfather, attempted to intervene, they too were violently attacked. The mob reportedly paraded the severely injured youth on the street before villagers transported him to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Khan's father Rahim Pathan refuted claims of any romantic involvement, stating his son had left home at 11 am solely to submit his police recruitment forms. "They brought his battered body home by 4 pm. When we tried to help, the mob turned on us," the grieving father told authorities.
The Jamner police station's investigation led to the arrest of four suspects on Tuesday: Abhishek Rajkumar Rajput (22), Ghanshyam alias Suraj Biharilal Sharma (25), Deepak Bajirao (20), and Ranjan alias Ranjit Ramakrishna Matade (48).
Four additional suspects were apprehended on Wednesday. All eight accused remain in police custody until August 18 as the probe continues.
