PATNA: An irate mob lynched a youth and mercilessly thrashed another on the suspicion of being goat thieves in Bihar’s Begusarai district on Friday. The injured identified as Rahul Kumar Paswan (25) is in a critical condition and is admitted at a government hospital.
The incident took place when the victims were allegedly escaping after stealing a goat belonging to Manoj Paswan, a resident of Bhawanandpur village in Begusarai district. The motorbike of the victims hit against a road divider. As a result, they were caught by the mob.
The mob tied the alleged thieves from a tree and thrashed them with lathi blows and iron rods causing grievous injuries. Later one of the injured was identified as Mohit Kumar (24), a resident of Birpur West village. The injured Rahul was rushed to hospital in precarious condition.
The deceased Rohit’s family members claimed that before his death, the victim told the family that he along with Rahul was on his way to an unknown destination when a goat suddenly got trapped on their motorbike’s wheels. The locals suspected them to be goat thieves and beat them up.
Begusarai superintendent of police Maneesh said that the deceased Rohit worked as a daily wager in Rajasthan. He had come to his native place recently. On Friday, Rohit along with his accomplice was caught by an angry mob, who mercilessly thrashed them.
Initial reports suggested that the duo was fleeing after committing a crime at the village and residents chased them. In the process, the victims’ motorbike hit a culvert and they fell on the road. The mob took them to a nearby orchard, tied them to a tree and beat them up till they fainted.
“We are trying to ascertain the identity of the people who took the law into their hands. Nobody will be spared whosoever they may be. Action will be taken on the basis of evidence,” the Begusarai SP said, adding that the deceased’s body was handed over to the family after post-mortem examination. The incident has sparked tension in the area. Police have intensified patrolling in affected villages as a precautionary measure.