Mumbai Crime: Teen killed over suspicion of mobile theft in Vikhroli

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A group of four men brutally beat up a 19-year-old boy and killed him at the Vikhroli Park Site area on the suspicion that he had stolen a resident's mobile phone. According to the police, the deceased has been identified as Rahul Panchal, resident of Gulam chawl in Chandan Nagar area of Vikhroli. Police sources said that the accused were arrested after a case was registered in the matter on Monday.

An officer of the Vikhroli Parksite police station told mid-day, "The arrested accused knew the victim and they have had tiffs over several issues. Around 6 pm on Monday, when Panchal was passing by the area, they stopped him and asked him about the mobile theft. When he denied having stolen it, they started beating him up.

They suspected him to be the culprit since he had stolen mobile phones before." "Panchal was beaten up so badly that he became unconscious, after which locals rushed him to Mahatma Phule hospital, where he was declared dead," police added.

The arrested accused have been identified as Suresh Varma, Surendra Varma, Shivkumar Varma (belonging to the same family) and their friend Monu Pandey. Senior inspector of Vikhroli Park Site police station Vilas Jadhav said, "An FIR has been registered in the case under sections 302, 323 and 34 of IPC. All the accused have been arrested. The matter is being investigated."

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