Three suspected Bangladeshi cattle lifters were killed by a mob at a tea estate in Assam's Karimganj district, police said on Sunday.
A group of cattle thieves crossed the Indo-Bangladesh border and entered the Bogrijan Tea Estate Patharkandi Police Station area, about 1.5km away from the border, on Saturday night. They attempted to steal cattle from the shed of a tea garden labourer, they said.
The labourer raised a hue and cry, following which his neighbours came out and attacked the cattle lifters, lynching three of them, while four others managed to escape.
A police team rushed to the spot on Sunday morning.
“We are investigating the matter. No arrests have been made so far,” they said.
The bodies were recovered along with biscuits and pieces of bread made in Bangladesh, ropes, wire cutters, pliers, a bag among other things, police said.
The identities of the deceased are yet to be ascertained, they said.
Meanwhile, local residents urged the border police and BSF personnel to take strong measures against the menace of cattle lifting, which they said has created fear among the people in the area.
Another cattle lifter from across the border was killed in a similar incident in Assam on June 1.
