PATNA: Three persons were beaten to death on suspicion of cattle theft in Baniapur village of Bihar’s Saran district on Friday. Budhan Rai of Nandlal Tola said he heard footsteps outside his house at 4 am and raised an alarm. Villagers rushed in and chased four persons and caught three of them and beat them up on suspicion of being cattle thieves.
Police said two of the persons died on the spot, while one died at the hospital. The mob also damaged a pick-up van which was parked nearby.
Ganesh Kumar, IG Tirhut Range, said, those killed were allegedly stealing a buffalo. The deceased have been identified as Raju Nut, 25, Bidesh Nut, 35 and Mohammad Naushad, 40-all residents of nearby Paigamabarpur village. One person escaped.
“Altogether three persons have been arrested and an FIR has been lodged against a few,” the IG said. It was not a case of lynching, he added.
Deputy SP Ajay Kumar Singh rushed to the village where a clash erupted between the alleged attackers and the family members of the deceased who claimed the trio had gone out to relieve themselves when they were beaten to death on a false allegation. “We can say it with certainty that this is not one of those incidents of mob lynching,” Singh added.