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In a video recorded before his death, Hussain said the assailants asked his name, pulled him off his bicycle, robbed him of 18,000 rupees and assaulted him.

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A Muslim cloth vendor died from injuries after he was assaulted by a mob in India’s eastern state of Bihar, after attackers allegedly asked about his religious identity, The Indian Express reported

Mohammad Athar Hussain, a resident of Gagan Diwan village in Nawada district, was attacked on Dec. 5 near Bhattapar village under Roh police station when he stopped to look for a puncture repair after his bicycle broke down.

Hussain sold clothes from a bicycle. His brother, Mohammad Shakib Alam, told The Indian Express that villagers intercepted Hussain, asked his name and profession, and then attacked him. “They assaulted him, cut his ears, beat him with a heated rod,” Alam said.

In a video recorded after the incident, Hussain said the assailants asked his name, pulled him off his bicycle, robbed him of 18,000 rupees and assaulted him. He alleged the group later grew to 15–20 people and that he was stripped and branded with a heated iron rod.

Hussain was taken to a primary health centre and later moved to Nawada Sadar Hospital before being shifted to Pawapuri VIMS, where he died late on Friday night. A post-mortem examination has been conducted.

Police have arrested six people and detained two minors so far, officials said. In a complaint filed on Dec. 6, Hussain’s wife, Shabnam Parveen, named 10 residents of Bhattapar village as accused, while 10 others remain unidentified.

The first information report said Hussain was assaulted after being falsely accused of theft and that family members who reached the village were abused and threatened. Police initially registered charges related to unlawful assembly, rioting and grievous hurt under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, adding murder charges after Hussain’s death.

A cross-complaint filed by one of the accused alleged Hussain attempted a burglary that night. Police said they are examining both complaints.

Nawada Superintendent of Police Abhinav Dhiman said a Special Investigation Team arrested four suspects within 24 hours and four more on Saturday. “Eight persons have been either arrested or detained, and raids are ongoing to trace the remaining accused,” The Indian Express quoted him as saying.