A group of youngsters set fire to the beard of an elderly visually-impaired man and forced him into chanting 'Jai Sriram' slogans in Karnataka's Koppal district, police said on Saturday, according to a report on IANS. The group carried out this act under the pretense of offering a lift to the victim.
According to police, the victim was identified as 65-year-old Hussein Saab, a resident of Mehaboobnagar. Currently, the elderly man is undergoing treatment at a hospital.
On November 25, Hussein Saab was reportedly waiting for an auto to return to Gangavathi from Hospet late at night when he was waylaid near Siddikeri Railway Bridge in Gangavathi town. The accused who came on the bike forcefully took him on the pretext of giving him a lift. They then reportedly took him to a secluded place under a railway bridge and set his beard on fire.
They allegedly forced him to chant 'Jai Sriram' slogans. Following a brutal assault, the assailants robbed him of his cash and fled, leaving him to spend the night under the railway bridge, as per the report. In the morning, passerby shepherds allegedly found him and accompanied him to his residence. Later, Hussain Saab filed a police complaint regarding the incident.
The police registered a FIR into the incident on November 30.
Koppal SP Yashoda Vantagodi visited the spot and assured that the accused would be tracked soon.
In the complaint, Hussain Sab said that the accused made derogatory comments against him and they even intended to kill him.
He said that the accused assaulted him with a beer bottle and they attempted to smash his head with a stone.
Police officials told Deccan Herald that the assault looked more like a crime for money than for communal reasons.
Further investigation is on.