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A mob has lynched two people who were crossing the Jamuna River in Sirajganj while carrying cattle on a boat, calling them cattle thieves.
Two others were injured in the incident and have been hospitalised, reports bdnews24.com.
Nur Alam, chief of Kazipur Police Station in Sirajganj, said the two injured in the incident on Sunday evening were rescued and admitted to the Sirajganj Upazila Health Complex.
Police recovered the body of a cow and rescued two living cattle from the boat they were carried in, he said.
The dead were identified as Rashedul and Razzak, but police have yet to release details on their identities.
The injured arrestees are Faruk, 40, from Badhachhira village in Tangail, and Bikram, 40, hailing from Kandapara village in Sirajganj.
Kazipur Upazila Fishermen Association President Montu Mia said, “Locals from the Sariakandi shoal area and fishermen called me and informed me about the theft of cattle. I informed everyone in the Kazipur Jetty area and asked them to remain alert.”
According to Montu, locals saw the thieves carrying the cattle in a boat around 3:30pm at Ghoragachha Char and gave chase on boats.
The thieves moved towards the Amanmehar Char, and the mob followed them.
“At one point, the thieves were caught in the Pachthakuri area of the Sadar Upazila,” Montu said.
“We took a speedboat and reached the scene, and saw that the frenzied mob had caught two thieves and were beating them. There were five thieves on the boat. The other three jumped into the river. Two of them were arrested with injuries, and three cattle were rescued. The cattle were handed over to the Natuarpara Police Outpost.”
One cow died as its legs were tied up and its mouth was gagged, the fishermen's leader said.
Rafiqul Islam, chief of Sirajganj Sadar River Police, said: “Locals caught two of them and beat them, killing one on the spot. The other died while being taken to the hospital at night after he was rescued.”
The bodies are at the morgue in Sirajganj Shaheed M Mansur Ali Medical College, he said. Police are working to uncover details about the dead and are preparing to file a case over the incident.