Commuters lynch chain-snatcher

However, his shouts had alerted others in the bus and one of them tried to stop the chain-snatcher but was bitten on his hand in the bargain. By this time the entire bus had spotted the thief and so had a few others outside. As soon as the chain-snatcher, around 30 years old, jumped out of the bus he was grabbed bythose waiting outside. Within seconds passengers from the bus too poured out and began beating up the man.

An eyewitness said it was free-for-all as people showered abuses and rained the man crouched on the ground with kicks and blows. They left him only when he fell unconscious. He was later taken to the Mulund General Hospital in a very serious condition but was declared dead before admission.

Mulund police said that his death appeared to have been caused by the deep injuries inflicted on his head.

Till late night police had not identified the thief nor the people who had attacked him. A senior officer said though they were making enquiries, it would be difficult to identify the attackers. In a similar case some time back another thief was beaten to death in Zone I. Then too the MRA Marg police had a tough time deciding who was the victim and who the accused.