Police after 2 deaths in alleged Raipur lynching

“Chand called me around 2 a.m. and told me they were being attacked by a mob when his phone was disconnected,” said Shoaib, cousin of Saddam and Chand Miyan, the day after a murder incident. alleged lynching following suspicion of cow smuggling. to illuminate in Raipur district, Chhattisgarh.

Chand Miyan, 23, was one of two men killed, along with 35-year-old Guddu Khan. Saddam Qureshi, 23, was seriously injured in the alleged attack.

“About an hour later, Saddam called my friend Mohsin, and he was heard screaming for help and begging for water. He called and probably put the phone in his pocket before it was disconnected,” Shoaib said.

Guddu and Saddam were admitted to a hospital in Mahasamund. Guddu succumbed to his injuries while Saddam is currently being treated at a private hospital in Raipur.

“We can't move. Someone please come and save us,” the victims were heard saying over the phone to their loved ones, according to the FIR (a copy of which is with us). The Quint) deposited during the attack.

The FIR was lodged against unknown persons under sections 307 (punishment for attempt to murder) and 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

Chand and Saddam were cousins ​​from Saharipur district of Uttar Pradesh and Guddu resided in Shamli district.

The trio had loaded the cattle from a village in neighboring Mahasamund district of Chhattisgarh. They were heading towards the cattle market in Odisha.

According to the FIR lodged at Arang police station, the police, after being alerted about the incident, reached the spot and recovered the body of Chand Miyan lying under a 30-foot-high bridge over the river Mahanadi. They also found Guddu and Saddam seriously injured.

Talk to The QuintRaipur Additional Superintendent of Police Kirtan Rathore said, “So far we have been able to verify that the trio was traveling with a truck loaded with cattle and that they were being followed. We have men on CCTV following the truck, but as there is no CCTV on the bridge we have no confirmation if they were lynched or if they jumped out of fear.

Meanwhile, police sources told this reporter that it was a “planned incident” as the road was laden with nails intended to attack the trio.

ASP Rathore also confirmed that a large number of sharp nails were recovered from the road near the incident site.

A special team was formed under the leadership of Rathore and Senior Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh for detailed investigation, identification and arrest of the accused. The Quint has learned.

Speaking to reporters in Raipur, Saddam and Chand Miyan's cousin Shoaib further claimed that Saddam's call to his friend Mohsin lasted for around 47 minutes, adding that later the police responded to the call and informed them of the deaths. both.

Police are waiting for the autopsy report to confirm the cause of death in the case.