New Delhi: An autorickshaw driver was tied to an electric pole and allegedly lynched in front of his parents in southwest Delhi's Uttam Nagar. The mob allegedly took turns to hit the victim with sticks and rods on suspicion of being a thief.

Two other men were also thrashed by the group of nearly 300 people. Police said that the men had boarded the autorickshaw driven by victim Avinash Kumar on Saturday. Subsequently, they asked Kumar to wait for them and got off while the autorickshaw driver went to urinate, they added.

When he came back, he saw a crowd thrashing the men, the police said. The duo told the mob that Kumar was their leader, following which the crowd attacked him, they added. The duo had allegedly stolen batteries and kept them in Kumar's autorickshaw, the police said.

A resident in the area claimed that the mob punched and kicked the driver for nearly four hours before parading him to "send a message". The victim managed to call up his parents and asked them to get his vehicle's documents.

"I received a call at 4.30 am. My son sounded afraid and asked me to meet him with his auto's documents," a Hindustan Times report quoted Kumar's father as saying. The couple rushed to the spot to find their son and the other two men tied to an electric pole.

"Around half-a-dozen people were taking turns to hit them with sticks and rods. Scores of others were shouting 'chor-chor' and 'maaro-maaro'," his mother said. The couple's desperate attempts to save their son went in vain, following which they were forced to leave and get the police.

"...we returned to the spot with a police team around 8.30 am...," the report quoted his mother. A police vehicle later arrived at the spot and took the three to a hospital where Kumar was declared brought dead.

A police officer said that one of the local residents has been arrested.