A 22-year-old man was lynched
in West Bengal's Malda district over suspicion of mobile phone theft, police said on Saturday.
The incident occurred in Kamalabari village in English Bazar police station area on Friday night, Inspector-in-charge Madan Mohan Roy said.
Based on an FIR lodged by the deceased's brother, two persons have been arrested in connection with the incident, he said.
During preliminary investigation, it was found that deceased Ismail Sheikh was accused of stealing another villager Hazrat Ali's mobile phone and was beaten up for the first time on Wednesday night, Roy said.
As per another FIR that was lodged against the deceased, Sheikh had stabbed Ali with a knife on Thursday night, following which he was admitted to the hospital, the officer said.
On Friday night, Sheikh was tied up and beaten by villagers. A police team rescued him in a critical condition and admitted him to the Malda Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared him dead, Roy said.
The body has been sent for post-mortem examination and further investigation is on, he said.
Police is also probing how the villagers could gather during the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, Roy added.
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