40-yr-old caught stealing cattle in eastern Bihar village lynched: Police

Police said the man had been charged with cattle theft in two cases and was recently released on bail in a theft case

ARARIA: A 40-year- old man accused of stealing cattle in eastern Bihar’s Araria district was thrashed by villagers leading to his death, police said on Friday. The incident took place in Pothia village of Simraha area late on Thursday evening.

A report prepared by the Kishanganj office of the BSF underlined the large number of cattle smuggled across the border to Bangladesh or sent to illegal slaughter houses in Seemanchal (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Police later identified the man as Lakhan Ram, a resident of Khawaspur about 20km from the spot where he allegedly tried to steal a buffalo and was caught. Police said Lakhan Ram was accused of cattle theft in the past too and was charge-sheeted in two cases. He was recently released from jail on bail.

Sub divisional police officer Ram Pukar Singh said Lakhan Ram’s family has been notified about his death and the body was sent for autopsy. “We are trying to identify the accused through various sources,” he said.

Lakhan Ram’s death is the fifth case of mob lynching in the region over the last five years, most of them on suspicions of stealing cattle.

Cattle theft is rampant in four east Bihar districts: Katihar, Araria, Kishanganj and Purnia.