Thieves lynched by locals

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Oct 29: Two suspected thieves were lynched by local residents at a village under Sreerampur gram panchayat, close to Indo-Bangladesh border, in Habibpur police station last night, police said.

They have been identified as Nitai Onrao (30) and Basrai Onrao (35), residents of neighbouring gram panchayat called Dhumpur. The incident took place when a group of 12 thieves and two local residents, Nitai and Basrai were plotting cattle robbery at a village, the local resistance group (RG), recognized by the local police station, chased them.

Two members of the RG party were injured when the dacoits attacked them. The injured members sounded alert for villagers to fight back. Hundreds of villagers chased the dacoits with weapons like bamboo rod, chopper, bow and arrow.

They intercepted two of them who were injured during the clash. The others dacoits escaped by taking advantage of the unfenced border.

Villagers alleged that the two locals used to provide shelter and information to Bangladeshi dacoits ‘professionally’ for stealing cattle from these bordering villages.

Police informed the matter to the nearest border out post of the BSF and started investigations. Villagers attacked the two thieves with sharp edged weapons, bow and arrows. Police found several injury marks on the bodies of the deceased.