Telangana Man beaten to death in Vijayawada over suspected theft of Rs 20 water bottle

Hyderabad: A 33-year-old man from Telangana's Nalgonda district was allegedly tied to an electric pole and beaten to death for nearly two hours in Vijayawada's Patamata area on suspicion of stealing a water bottle worth Rs 20. Four men have been arrested for murder.

The deceased was identified as Masa Sai Kumar (33), who is survived by his wife and two children. Kumar had been working at a fast food centre in Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri for the past six months. A week ago, he told his employer that he was travelling to Visakhapatnam for work.

On October 18, Kumar told his wife over the phone that he was in Vijayawada. Later that night, he allegedly tried to steal a water bottle from a paan shop on Patamata Donka Road. A milk-delivery van driver who had arrived at the shop noticed the incident and alerted Ravi Shankar, an employee at the shop.

Police said, Shankar dragged Kumar out of the shop and thrashed him. Ayyappa, a worker at a liquor store, joined in. The two allegedly twisted Kumar's arms behind his back, tied him to an electric pole and struck him with sticks. Two more men, Pothanshetti Naveen and Sai Praneeth, later joined the assault, which continued for nearly two hours. Kumar's pleas for mercy reportedly went unheeded. The accused fled the spot after he fell unconscious.

Police examined closed-circuit television footage from the area and identified the accused. All four were arrested and booked for murder under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Further investigation is underway.