"A girl, aged between 8 to 9 years, was found dead in a field this morning in Kalibazar village of East Midnapore district. The father of the girl has lodged a complaint against 3 persons, one of whom has been lynched by villagers," District Superintendent of Police Sukesh Jain told PTI here.
"The girl was missing since 5 PM yesterday evening. The family members and locals searched for her in the locality, but she could not be located," he said.
"The body of the girl was found on the ground by the police. However, the locals alleged that she was found hanging from a tree and had been brought down by them," the SP said.
Accusing Ratan Das, whose residence is only 15-20 metres away from the girl's home, and two of his associates of gangraping and murdering the girl, locals thrashed them and ransacked Das's house, he said.
"The police rescued the trio. While Das succumbed to his injuries, the two others have been admitted at a hospital," he said. Das was in his mid-forties.