Goat theft leads to twin murders in Bengal

KOLKATA: An attempt to steal a goat took a fatal turn when a man paid with his life for trying to stop its theft in a West Bengal village on Wednesday. One of the thieves was lynched.

Babulal Bhandari, 65, a security guard in the Kumropara area of Raidighi village at South 24 Parganas district, saw three men trying to steal his goats in the wee hours of Wednesday, police said.

"When Bhandari shouted at them and tried to chase them away, the thieves hit him on the head with a torch. He died on the spot. Some residents immediately reached the spot and caught hold of one of the thieves," said a police officer at Raidighi police station.

"The thief, Hari Mondal, was then tied to a tree and lynched before police could reach the spot. His body bore marks of sharp weapons along wit signs of a heavy beating," the official said.

Police said they had arrested one of Mondol's accomplices.

"We have arrested Sadananda Purakai, another of the three thieves, on Wednesday noon. The search is on for the third thief as well as the people who took law into their own hands and killed Mondal," the police officer added.

A similar incident took place at Beldanga village of Murshidabad district on Tuesday evening when people lynched a youth on the suspicion of being a thief.