Nagpur: Barely a week after a suspected chain snatcher died in Beltarodi following a public assault, another case of mob fury surfaced late Monday in Pardi, where a 35-year-old Chhattisgarh man accused of sexually abusing a nine-year-old girl died after being brutally thrashed by residents.The accused, Narayandas Vaishnav, was rescued by cops and taken to Mayo Hospital, where he was declared dead on Tuesday afternoon. A resident of Bhilai, Vaishnav moved to Nagpur a month ago and was staying at a rented flat in Pardi.A labourer by profession, he spotted the girl playing near a Maskeraya Ganpati mandal, lured her to his rented room and sexually abused her, said police. The girl raised an alarm, following which relatives and residents allegedly caught the suspect and repeatedly punched and kicked him. The crime site, Shivnagar, is largely inhabited by migrants.Pardi police were alerted around 10.30pm and the team found Vaishnav conscious after being rescued from the mob. He did not appear to have suffered critical injuries, said police, but his condition deteriorated later. At around 2.50pm on Tuesday, doctors declared Vaishnav dead. His autopsy will be conducted on Wednesday. Police are awaiting the report to establish the exact cause of death and nature of injuries.Pardi police initially registered a POCSO case and later lodged a case of accidental death. A separate case of assault was registered against unknown persons, who were part of the mob. Zonal deputy commissioner of police Nityanand Jha said Vaishnav did not display symptoms of grave injuries when taken to hospital. “We are awaiting the autopsy report before the legal recourse,” Jha said.Police formed several teams to identify those involved in the assault and are scanning CCTV footage. They are also trying to find out whether anyone recorded the assault on a mobile phone. Senior inspector Nanda Manghate said more serious sections may be added as the probe progresses.Senior police officials said taking the law into one’s own hands would not be tolerated. “Residents should have called the emergency helpline 112 and handed over the accused to police,” said a senior police officer.
