Five arrested for beating to death migrant worker in Kerala

Palakkad (Kerala), Dec 19 (PTI) Five people have been arrested for allegedly beating to death a Chhattisgarh native on suspicion of theft near here, police said on Friday.

The arrests of the five persons were formally recorded late Thursday night and all the accused have been booked for the offence of murder under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, an officer of Walayar police station said.

They were produced before a court here and remanded to judicial custody on Friday, the officer said.

Police had initially said that the victim -- Ramnarayan Bhayar (31) -- hailed from Jharkhand, but it was later revealed that he was a native of Chhattisgarh.

His relative told reporters here that according to the police, Ramnarayan died due to the injuries suffered in the mob lynching.

The relative said that the victim had come to Kerala four days ago looking for work and as he did not like the job he got here, he was going to return home.

"He was new to the area and did not know the routes and got lost. As a result, he landed up at the place where the incident occurred. He has no criminal record back home. You can check with the police in Chhattisgarh.

"He was a good man. Had two kids aged 8 and 10 years. His only drawback was his drinking habit. He was never involved in any fights or anything like that," the relative said.

According to police, Bhayar was attacked by a group of men on Wednesday evening, alleging that he was involved in a theft at Kizhakeattappallam near Walayar.

As per the FIR, the incident occurred before 7.40 pm, and the injured Bhayar was rushed to the Palakkad District Government Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Police said a detailed investigation was underway to ascertain the sequence of events leading to the incident. PTI HMP ADB