NEW DELHI: A man died at a Delhi hospital days after he was allegedly tied up and beaten with belts, fists and kicks by truck drivers who suspected him of attempting to steal cables from their vehicles in outer north Delhi’s Bhalswa Dairy area, police said on Sunday.Police have arrested two truck drivers in connection with the incident and are searching for the other accused.Ram Kumar (18), a resident of Kalandar Colony, was allegedly caught along with four others by truck drivers while they were attempting to steal cables and other articles from trucks on the evening of August 29, an officer said.Kumar’s brother subsequently made a PCR call, alleging that the truck drivers had assaulted him.“On August 30, Kumar’s family took him to Burari Hospital, where a medico-legal case (MLC) was prepared. Kumar was examined for bruises and laceration on his hand, a black eye and bruising on his leg, among other injuries. No vital or grievous injury was observed, and there was no active bleeding, loss of consciousness or vomiting,” the officer said.Kumar was provided treatment and discharged from the hospital. Police said the matter was looked into at the time, but the family refused to take legal action.On September 9, Kumar returned to Burari Hospital for a check-up and complained of breathlessness. He was subsequently referred to Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital and later to Rajan Babu Institute of Pulmonary Medicine and Tuberculosis Hospital.Kumar died at Rajan Babu TB Hospital in the intervening night of September 9 and 10, the officer said.Following information about his death, a PCR call was received at Bhalswa Dairy police station at 12:36 am on September 10 regarding the death of a man who had earlier been beaten on suspicion of theft, police said.An FIR was registered and two accused, identified as Muntiyaz and Naeem, both truck drivers, were arrested. Police teams have been formed to trace the remaining accused and dispatched to different locations.The post-mortem examination was conducted on September 12 to ascertain the exact cause of death. Further investigation is underway, police said.
