Boy thrashed after being caught stealing money

Kolkata: A boy was beaten up by some locals after they suspected him to be a thief.

The incident took place near Denguajhar area of Jalpaiguri on Tuesday morning. Police have not yet revealed the name of the victim. Some local businessmen alleged that the boy was trying to steal money from a

local shop.

The locals told police one Mintu Dey, a local shop owner, was away from his shop in the morning when the accused attempted to steal money from the cash box.

Some other businessmen in the area got hold of the boy. They beat him up after tying him to a lamp post.

The victim had received injuries on various parts of his body in the incident. None of the locals came to his rescue till the matter was reported to the local police station. Some police personnel rushed to the spot immediately and freed him from the clutches of the businessmen. The victim was later rescued by the police and he was taken to a hospital.

The incident triggered tension among the locals. Some, however, raised questions on why the boy was badly beaten up by the local shop owners instead of handing him over to the police.

The shop owners in the area told the police that they managed to catch the boy while stealing money from Dey's shop. After starting a probe, police came to know that the victim is a resident of Rajgunj area of the same district. The locals are being interrogated in this connection.

Police have started a detailed probe in this regard.