A 26-year-old state-level kabaddi player, Manoj Bhadu, was allegedly beaten to death after being kidnapped by a group of unidentified persons in Rajasthan's Jodhpur district, police said.
Manoj, a resident of Rawar village in Jodhpur's Bilara area, was kidnapped by 20 to 25 men who intercepted his SUV on Thursday night. The group reportedly forced Manoj out of the vehicle and took him to different locations, repeatedly assaulting him with sticks and iron rods.
Manoj suffered severe injuries to his head, legs, and arms and was left critically injured near Lamba village in neighbouring Pali district. He was initially taken to a private hospital in Jodhpur and later referred to Mathuradas Mathur (MDM) Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
Police suspect that the murder may have stemmed from an old personal rivalry, citing a past incident where Manoj had allegedly assaulted a youth, Mahendra, in the Bilara police station. A case was registered against seven people, including Shyamlal, Dinesh, Sunil, Mek Singh alias Mainkaram, Somraj, Harbhajan, and Sanwarlal, and police teams have been deployed to trace the suspects.
