3 lynched in Bihar village on suspicion of being cattle thieves

The dead have been identified as Naushad Alam, Raju Nut and Videsh Nut, all residents of Paigampur under Banipur police station.

Three men were beaten to death by a mob over a suspicion they were stealing cattle in a village in Bihar’s Saran district on Thursday night, police said, in the third incident of lynching in the state this year.

Three men were beaten to death by a mob over a suspicion they were stealing cattle in a village in Bihar’s Saran district on Thursday night. (Representative Image)(AFP)

Sources in the police said two of them died on the spot in Pithaoura Nandlal village under Banipur police station of Saran district, 70km northwest of the state’s capital Patna. The third man died during the course of treatment.

The dead have been identified as Naushad Alam, Raju Nut and Videsh Nut, all residents of Paigampur under Banipur police station. The fourth man is undergoing treatment at Banipur referral hospital and is in a critical condition.

Saran (Chapra) superintendent of police Hari Kishore Rai said the men were attacked when were allegedly trying to steal cattle. Residents woke up after hearing the sound of the cattle and some villagers brutally assaulted the men on the charge of stealing cattle.

Rai said three people have been taken into the custody and a case has been lodged with Baniyapur police station.

“Raids are on to arrest others accused involved in the crime,” he added.

Villagers claimed that four men had come to steal cows and when they tried to catch them, one of them managed to flee. They alleged that three goats were stolen from the courtyard of Rajbali Ram and after some time they tried to take away his cows as well.

The family of those killed denied the men were involved in the theft. “My brother was not a thief. He was to get married very soon,” said Shailesh Nut.

Police forces were rushed to the spot amid tension in the village.

The families of victims and accused clashed at Sadar Hospital in Chapra when the bodies reached the hospital for the post mortem examination. Police had to use force to bring the situation under control.

This is the third incident after one man was killed in Vaishali in July and another lynching in Jehanabad in May.