An Indian car washer died after a colleague at a garage allegedly inserted a high-pressure air hose into his rectum, it has been reported.
The family of 48-year-old Yakub Sheikh called the alleged incident a "hate crime" after authorities initially said the tragedy was the result of a "prank" with a 140 PSI hose.
Father-of-two Mr Sheikh died after the incident at a Toyota garage in a suburb of Mumbai last month.
Mr Sheikh's brother, Samad, told the Indian Express he believes the incident happened he had an argument about animal sacrifice with colleague Santhosh Aherkar, who has been charged with murder.
He said: "We made our own inquiries over the last one month. We have learned that Aherkar and my brother had been having an argument over the practice of animal sacrifice… Aherkar told my brother, 'you had mutton, we will take out your mutton now’”.
Deven Bharti, the Joint Commissioner of Police in Cotton Green, the Mumbai suburb where the incident happened, told the paper: “The investigation into the case is still going on. If anyone has new facts to share, they should feel free to approach the investigating Officer. Their statements will be recorded and appropriate action will be taken.”
