Man suspected to be from Kerala lynched by mob in West Bengal; 7 held

A man believed to be from Kerala was allegedly lynched by a mob in the Kultali area of West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district after locals suspected him of theft.

Nirmal Das, Inspector-in-Charge of the Kultali Police Station, told Onmanorama that seven people, including two juveniles, have been arrested in connection with the incident.

According to the police, the man is suspected to have lost his way before being spotted by local residents. Mistaking him for a thief, they allegedly assaulted him, leading to his death.

While initial reports suggested that the victim was a native of Kerala, the investigation has raised questions about his identity. "During the investigation, we found a contact number linked to a man identified as Naik. This has led us to suspect that the deceased may be a native of Karnataka," Das told Onmanorama.

Abhishek Ranjan, the Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Baruipur, said efforts were underway to establish the identity of the deceased. "The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, and we are awaiting the results for further information," Ranjan told Onmanorama.