Bihar: Man lynched on ‘theft’ suspicion in Araria, 2 held

PATNA: A 29-year-old man was lynched by a mob on the suspicion of being a thief at Chakai village under Jokihat police station area in Araria district Sunday night, police said on Monday.
The victim was identified as Ismael, a resident of the same village. His father Md Shoaib lodged a complaint with the Jokihat police station against 18 people, who were reported to be absconding after the incident.
Police said the victim was caught by a mob when he was reportedly fleeing after committing theft in the house of one Doman Yadav at the village late Sunday night.He was rushed to the Jokihat referral hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Jokihat police station SHO Vikas Kumar Azad said two of the accused -- Tupesh Yadav and Nitish Yadav — were arrested and sent to jail. “Raids are on to nab the other accused,” he said over the phone.
Shoaib alleged that Ismael was caught by some people belonging to a particular community when he had gone to Yadav Tola of the village to fetch milk. The family started searching for him when he didn’t return home till late at night.
Later, the family came to know that Ismael had been admitted to the hospital after being brutally beaten up by some co-villagers. “When I reached there, the hospital staff tinformed me that Ismael was dead,” he told the police.
Araria Sadar SDPO Pushkar Kumar said Ismael had criminal antecedents. “He was earlier booked in a theft case,” he said.
Earlier in Saharsa, a youth was lynched and another was seriously injured when committing theft in a grocery shop at Gandhi Path under Sadar police station area in the district on Saturday.
Saharsa Sadar SDPO Santosh Kumar said raids were on to nab the people involved in thrashing the youth, leading to his death.