Mangaluru: In a shocking incident in coastal Karnataka, an unidentified man was beaten to death by a mob after a local cricket match turned violent in Kudupu village, on the outskirts of Mangaluru city. The incident took place on Sunday afternoon near the Bhatra Kallurti Temple grounds.

Commissioner of Police Mangaluru city Anupam Agarwal today, in a press conference told that the deceased, who reportedly spoke Malayalam, was attacked around 3 pm by over 25 individuals using sticks, kicks, and blows with bare hands. Preliminary investigations suggest the man died due to internal bleeding and shock caused by the assault.

Local police received information about the body around 5:30 pm and immediately rushed to the spot. A preliminary inspection revealed no external injuries, prompting officials to conduct a post-mortem, which later confirmed death due to multiple blunt force injuries and delay in medical care.

“Some bystanders attempted to intervene, but the assault continued unabated,” a senior police official said.

Following a complaint from a resident, Deepak Kumar, 19 people were named in the FIR, and a case was registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including 103(2), 115(2), and 240, at the Mangaluru Rural Police Station.

As of Monday, 15 individuals have been arrested. The primary accused, Sachin (26), is a resident of Kudupu village. Others arrested include individuals from nearby areas such as Vamanjoor, Neermarga, and Bejai.

Efforts are ongoing to identify the deceased and apprehend other suspects. Police teams are analysing CCTV footage from the vicinity and mobile tower dump data to track the movements and involvement of others.