A man suspected to be a thief was lynched in West Bengal's Midnapore town, police said on Sunday. No arrests have been made as yet.
"A middle-aged unidentified man was beaten to death by people in Sukantapalli area Saturday night. They suspected him to be a thief, but we don't have any proof. We have not arrested anyone till now," District Superintendent of Police RK Singh told reporters.
Officials at Kotwali police station, under which Sukantapalli falls, said there was a rumour at around 9 pm that a thief had entered the house of Karuna Das in the locality. But when the people gathered near the house, they could not find anyone.
They then caught hold of a man sitting nearby and starting beating him without asking him any questions.
"The public beating continued for over two hours. Police was informed much later. Before officials could reach the spot and rescue the man, he had died," an official said.