Three boys were beaten up by a mob for allegedly stealing a goat in West Bengal's Malda district today, police said.
The three, aged around 17, were trying to flee Raipur village near here after stealing a goat but local people caught hold of them, they said.
The mob thrashed them. Police rushed to the spot and admitted the trio to a hospital.
Their condition is stated to be "serious", police said.
The villagers alleged a number of goats were stolen from the village in the last few days.