A 35-year-old migrant labourer from Telangana was allegedly beaten to death in Andhra Pradesh’s Vijayawada after he took a bottle of water from a refrigerator outside a closed paan shop, police said.
The deceased, identified as Sai Kumar, was a resident of Nalgonda district in Telangana. He had reportedly left his family behind and travelled to Vijayawada a few days earlier in search of work.
According to Patamata police, the incident took place around midnight on October 19 on Patamata Donka Road.
Labourer Tied to Pillar, Beaten With Sticks
Police said Sai Kumar took a bottle of water from a refrigerator kept outside a closed roadside paan shop. An accused, identified as Ravi Shankar, allegedly saw him and assaulted him.
The violence allegedly escalated when three other men joined the attack. Ayyappa Shankar, who worked at a nearby liquor shop, along with Sai Praneeth and Navim, allegedly tied the labourer to a pillar and beat him with sticks.
Sai Kumar succumbed to his injuries, according to the police.
Local residents spotted his body lying by the roadside the following morning, October 20, and alerted the police. Details of the incident emerged publicly on October 21.
CCTV Footage, Attack Video Under Investigation
Patamata Circle Inspector V. Pawan Kishore said on October 22 that the post-mortem report confirmed that Sai Kumar died due to severe injuries.
Police said the accused allegedly recorded the assault on their mobile phones. Investigators have also obtained CCTV footage from cameras installed near the scene, which reportedly captured the incident.
The footage is being examined as part of the investigation.
Police have taken all four accused into custody. The victim’s body was handed over to his family after the required formalities.
Police Probe Whether Others Were Involved
Circle Inspector Pawan Kishore said investigators were examining whether anyone else had participated in the attack beyond the four accused.
The circumstances surrounding the assault, including the alleged motive and the sequence of events, are being investigated.
