Ghaziabad: Four detained after video of man beaten with belts goes viral

Police arrested four men on Wednesday for allegedly beating a man using their belt on an empty lot near Crossings Republik Municipality on October 4 because he allegedly saw them selling drugs and was afraid he would alert the police , senior officers said, adding that a video of the attack was widely shared on social media.

Police identified the four suspects as Atul Kumar, 22, Sachin Kumar, 20, Arun Kumar, 22, and Ritik Pal, 19, residents of Bhim Nagar, New Shanti Nagar and Maharana Vihar near the township.

Police said that after the video of the alleged assault went viral, they made efforts to trace the victim, whom they identified as Vishal Gautam, a resident of Bhim Nagar.

Based on his complaint, the police registered an FIR under sections 191(2) (rioting), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the police station by Crossings Republik.

“A man named Gaurav Solanki, a resident of Shanti Nagar, is dealing drugs and I saw Badal, Arun, Atul, Sachin and Shivam selling drugs in a field. Solanki became suspicious that I might inform the police and so Badal called me on October 4 at a place near Gaur City 2 around 6 p.m. A Scorpion and a taxi were parked there. Solanki, Atul, Arun, Sachin and Shivam got down from the cars and took me to a plot of land near Chitravan (a high rise township),” Gautam said in the FIR.

“There they hit me with belts and also filmed the attack. They told me that if I didn’t sell drugs, I would be beaten again. Later, I heard about the viral video, so I contacted the police to file a complaint,” Gautam said.

Based on the FIR registered on October 15, police arrested four suspects on Wednesday.

“We have arrested four suspects so far and are questioning them on the drug issue as claimed by the victim,” said Lipi Nagayach, deputy commissioner of Wave City police.