Bus driver mistaken to be a thief, thrashed by a group of people dies (Representational image)

A 32-year-old bus driver, mistaken to be a thief and thrashed by a group of people in Maharashtra's Palghar district, died in a Gujarat hospital due to injuries, police said this morning.

Six people have been booked in connection with the incident, Palghar police spokesperson Hemant Katkar said.

The victim, Ranjit Pandey, was standing near a bus on August 21 when some people there suspected that he intended to steal the vehicle's battery and deflate its tyres, he said.

They then caught hold of Mr Pandey and thrashed him severely, police said.

The victim, who was badly injured, was taken to a local hospital. He was later shifted to a hospital in neighbouring Valsad district of Gujarat where he died on Sunday, he said.

The Boisar police on Monday booked six people - Anwar Garagewalla, his brother Mintu, two accomplices and two friends of the latter for murder, unlawful assembly and rioting.

No arrest has been made so far, he added.

Several incidents of mob fury have come to light from various places across the county in recent times.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday termed lynching as an "inhuman" act and called for stern action against perpetrators of such crimes.