A 70-year-old sadhu or ascetic was allegedly killed by a group of people on suspicion of being a child lifter in Panhai village of Uttar Pradesh’s Chitrakoot on September 11.

The victim was identified as Ram Bharosey from Shahjahanpur, and was staying at a temple in a nearby village and ventured into Panhai, when a few men, driven by rumours of child lifting, became suspicious of his attire and attacked him.

Mob asked him why he had come to the village and that’s when some people lost their patience and began beating him black and blue.

The beating lasted for 30 minutes before some locals called the police, Manikpur station house officer (SHO) KK Mishra told Hindustan Times.

Police rushed the man to community health centre from where he was referred to district hospital where he succumbed. Police lodged a case against three persons on Thursday but no one was arrested till the filing of this report.

“He was barely breathing when emergency response team Dial 100 reached the site of the incident and somehow managed to rescue Ram Bharosey, who was in a critical condition. The mob even attacked the police team,” Mishra said.

However, the Chitrakoot superintendent of police (SP) Manoj Jha denied Ram Bharosey had been beaten up due to rumours of child lifting.

He said that the man was carrying and axe and was psychologically unstable, which led to suspicion in locals.