Nagpur: A robber in the garb of a gig worker was lynched by a mob after he and his aide entered the house of a 68-year-old woman on Tuesday afternoon and snatched her gold chain. Doctors at a govt-run hospital declared the robber dead on arrival.The incident took place at the residence of Usha Dharmik, a resident of Modern Mill Society under Beltarodi police station limits. Police said two men, one of them disguised as a gig worker, entered her house and allegedly snatched her gold chain. Dharmik raised an alarm, prompting locals to rush to the spot. When the suspects tried flee, one of the accused, identified as Sumedh Gajbhiye, was caught by the crowd, while the other, Deepak Patil, allegedly hid in a nearby paan shop before escaping.According to police, the mob dragged Gajbhiye through the locality to the victim’s residence, where Dharmik identified him as one of the intruders. He was then allegedly assaulted by the mob. Passersby alerted the police, who reached the spot and took him into custody. Gajbhiye complained of chest pain and uneasiness in the police jeep and was rushed to Govt Medical College and Hospital, where he was declared dead.The death prompted the State CID and intelligence officials to visit Beltarodi police station. An inquest and post-mortem examination are scheduled to be conducted in the presence of an executive magistrate and will be videographed.Police said Gajbhiye had previously been booked in a burglary case in 2018. Searches are underway to trace Patil, with teams combing nearby slum clusters and other crime-prone pockets. Investigators suspect he may have changed clothes to evade identification.CCTV footage from the area is being examined, while the stolen gold chain is yet to be recovered. Police are also investigating whether the duo employed similar tactics in other localities on the city outskirts.Police sources said Deepak Patil had slipped into a nearby slum cluster and may have changed clothes to hoodwink police.Security has been tightened in the Beltarodi-Somalwada belt, with nakabandi points set up at key junctions, bus stands and railway stations. Statements of the victim, her family members and local witnesses are being recorded as part of the investigation.Further statements of Usha, her son and neighbourhood witnesses are being recorded. Police said intensified nakabandis will continue in Beltarodi limits till Patil is traced.
