By IANS
Patna : Villagers in Bihar’s Vaishali district lynched 10 alleged thieves early Thursday and justified the act saying that they were finally “rid” of the men who had been robbing homes there for the past few months.
According to police, the alleged thieves were beaten to death in Dhelpurwa village near Hajipur in Vaishali, about 40 km from here.
“Hundreds of villagers from nearby villages surrounded the thieves in the wee hours Thursday as they were fleeing and beat 10 of them to death with bamboo sticks and bricks,” a senior official of the district said. There were 11 reported thieves.
The villagers justified their act saying that the group of alleged thieves were giving them sleepless nights for the last few months. “At last we have got rid of these criminals,” Ramsawarup Mahto, a villager, said.
Tension was running high in the village following the killing and police forces have been deployed.
Condemning the incident, Bihar Home Secretary Afzal Amanullah said he had asked for a report from the district administration and local police. “I will comment only after I receive a report on the incident,” he said.
In the past month, there have been a least half a dozen incidents of alleged petty criminals being beaten severely by angry mobs.
On Monday, three youths were brutally beaten by a group of around 400 villagers in Nawada district for allegedly snatching a motorcycle.
A case has been registered against the villagers for taking the law into their own hands, police said.
Last month, an alleged chain snatcher was brutally beaten by a mob and dragged by police behind a motorcycle in Bhagalpur district – an incident that shocked the nation.