Gayathri Mani By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A 22-year-old muslim man was brutally thrashed by a gang in Outer North Delhi's Bawana area on suspicion of spreading coronavirus among the people in the village.

Earlier, several news reports claimed that the man has been lynched to death. However, Delhi Police has clarified that the man is alive and has been kept in corona quarantine centre.

The 22-year-old has been identified as Dilshad Ali aka Mehboob, a resident of Harevli village under Bawana police station.

"He is admitted in LNJP Hospital, Delhi, as a corona suspect. He is fine and being kept in the isolation centre. As per information, there are no virus symptoms till date," said a senior police official.

He said there was a rumour in the village that he and a bunch of other boys are planning to return to the village to spread the virus. "It has been rumoured that all of them were planning to inject salaiva in fruits and vegetables ans sell them to people to spread virus," said source.

The police have arrested three accused namely Naveen, Prashant and Promod for wrongful restraint, beating and threatening a person. An FIR under section 341/323/506/34 IPC has been filed against them in Bawana police station.

"Investigation Officer (IO) of the case had a telephonic conversation with him on Thursday morning in which he stated that he is fine," added the police.

The video of the man being beaten up went viral in social media. In the video, Ali was seen bleeding from his leg and pleading that he had no plan to spread the virus. He was just returning to his village. However, the attackers abused him while asking him to tell them the truth.

"Please do not hit me. It was not my plan, wo dusre log the jinka plan tha ye bimari felane ka (They were others who were planning to spreas the virus)," the video shows Ali as saying.