A fisherman was hung upside down from a crane on a fishing boat and tortured by a group of fellow fishermen for allegedly stealing a mobile phone.
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The incident occurred on a fishing boat anchored at the Mangaluru fishing harbour at Bandur on December 15, but police have filed a case after a video of a group of fishermen torturing the man over the alleged theft went viral.
Police have registered a case under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including attempt to murder. All the six accused in the incident were apprehended last night, the police informed.
All the fishermen seen in the clip are from Andhra Pradesh, police added.
The fisherman beaten for allegedly stealing a cell phone has been identified as Vaila Sheenu, as per a report by news agency ANI.
The 25-second video clip features the victim hanging upside down from a hook that seems to be attached to a weighing machine. Sheenu's feet are tied and he is stripped up to his waist.
The clip shows other fishermen surrounding him on the boat. While some of them can be heard yelling at him, one man steps ahead and slaps him.
"An FIR has been registered under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code after a few fishermen, in a video, were seen thrashing another fisherman on a fishing boat for allegedly stealing a mobile phone," Mangaluru Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar said, according to an ANI report.
Police have now said further investigation in the matter is underway.
With Agency Inputs
