KOLKATA: A man in his late thirties, who tried to snatch mobile phones from two street children at Lake Gardens, beat up a homeless person so badly for protesting that he later died in the early hours of Wednesday.The cops are looking for Bumba Dey, who is on the run.The Charu Market police station was alerted early in the morning by a group of KMC workers, who told them they had found an unconscious person inside an abandoned godown on Dr Deodhar Raman Road. The cops went to the spot and took the man to MR Bangur Hospital. He, however, was declared brought dead, said DC (South) Meeraz Khalid.The victim was later identified as Somnath Sardar, 35. Sources said Sardar used to drive an auto, but left home after his parents passed away some years ago and started living in the godown.It was only around 7am, when two street children, aged 14 and 16, walked into the police station, that the cops had a better idea of the crime. The two kids had a horrific tale. They told the cops that around 3.30am, a drunk Dey — a known face to them — told them he would show them a ghost. Intrigued, the two followed him into an abandoned FCI godown. They told the cops that Dey tried to snatch their mobile phones, and that they tried to resist, causing a commotion.The commotion awakened Sardar, who was sleeping there. He figured out what was going on and protested, asking Dey why he was trying to rob the children. This caused Dey to fly into a rage and he started raining blows on Sardar, kicking and punching him. At one point, Dey even stood on the victim’s neck, as the children watched in horror.“The two managed to flee and later alerted the Charu Market police station,” said a senior officer from the south division.The body has been sent for autopsy. “The actual cause of death will only be ascertained after the report comes in,” said a cop. “The statements of the two children have certain inconsistencies. We are investigating the case,” said an investigator. A murder case has been registered.

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