Bengal: 2 killed, 3 injured in Bagdogra mob attack over suspected cattle theft

Two people were allegedly lynched and three injured after a mob attacked five over suspected cattle theft and set their pickup van on fire near Bagdogra, police said.

Two people were allegedly lynched and three others injured after a mob attacked five people on suspicion of cattle theft and set their pickup van on fire near Bagdogra in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district in the early hours of Saturday, police said.

Two people were killed and three injured in a mob attack on five people suspected of cattle theft near Bagdogra in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district, police said.

“The two deceased were identified as Shahid Akhtar, a resident of Sonapur in Chopra, and Sajjad Mohammad, a resident of Haryana,” additional commissioner of police of Siliguri Anirban Majumdar said.

Police identified the three injured as Amir Sattar, Akram Khan and Arif Khan, all residents of Haryana.

According to local people, five persons reached Tarabari village on the border of Matigara between 2:30 and 3:00 am on Saturday in a car and a pickup van.

The villagers, who were reportedly alert as there had been a few cattle theft incidents in the past, raised an alarm after spotting the outsiders. They suspected that the gang had come to steal cattle.

“They were chased from Tarabari in Matigara to Dhimal. The villagers caught the five and attacked them. The pickup van was set on fire and the car was damaged,” Biresh Roy, a local resident, said.

Police said that an investigation is underway. “Raids have started to arrest those behind the lynching,” the officer said.