Mumbai: A 30-year-old Mumbai resident was allegedly assaulted with iron rods by a mob on June 7.
The police said that the accused, Shatrunjay Waghmare who was driving a Maruti Esteem (MH 01 P 6871), tried to steal a goat from a herd tethered outside Bandra Terminus.
"On seeing this, its owner who was squatting nearby, raised an alarm. Waghmare at once dumped the animal, hopped onto his car and prepared to flee," said a police official.
Dawood, a resident of Kherwadi in Bandra (E) who saw the drama unfold, said, "When the owner started screaming, the man who seemed drunk tried to flee."
Waghmare rammed his car into a motorbike in the narrow, congested lane and tried to speed away. "That's when a group of people, including the biker, started chasing him," said the police official.
On the highway, he rammed into an autorickshaw and two other motorcycles. Four pedestrians also sustained injuries in the melee that ensued.
The crowd caught up with the driver near Vakola. "They pulled him out of the car and assaulted him with iron rods. A few others who were tailing his car on bikes alerted the police. When the crowd saw us, they dispersed," said the police official.
Others pelted his car with stones, damaging it severely. It was not known who owns the Maruti Esteem.
The police, however, said they were not aware of Waghmare's attempt to steal the goat. "When we reached the spot [Vakola], he was being thrashed by the mob. Nobody has filed any robbery complaint," an officer of Vakola police station told MiD DAY. Waghmare, who has been booked for drunk driving, was taken to VN Desai Hospital, Santacruz for a medical check-up where the other injured are being treated.