In Khowai district of Tripura on Sunday, three suspected cattle smugglers were allegedly lynched, as per the police. The deceased were Zayed Hussein (28), Billal Miah (30) and Saiful Islam (18). All three of them were from Sonamura in Sepahijala district, said Khowai SP Kiran Kumar.
According to reports, villagers of Namanjoypara spotted the trio along with five cattle in a vehicle travelling towards Agartala early in the morning, at around 4:30 AM. A mob then chased them and later stopped the vehicle at Uttar Maharanipur, 10 kilometres away. They reportedly thrashed Zayed and Billal with “lethal weapons” while Saiful managed to flee initially but eventually got caught by the mob at Mungiakami, where he too was lynched.
The police on receiving the information rushed to the spot and the three of them were then taken to the local Mungiakami primary health centre and later to Agartala Government Medical College. They were declared dead on arrival by the doctors.
Separate cases for cattle smuggling and against unidentified individuals for mob lynching, were filed at Champahour and Kayanpur police stations respectively. No arrests have been made yet.