56-year-old Naseem Qureshi suspected of carrying beef lynched in Bihar’s Saran

A 55-year-old man was beaten to death by a mob allegedly over suspicion that he was carrying beef in Bihar's Saran district, police said on Friday.

The deceased was identified as Naseem Qureshi, a resident of Hasanpur village of Siwan district.

According to a local police officer the incident took place on Tuesday when Naseem and his nephew Firoz Qureshi were going to meet their relatives at Jogia village in Saran district.

"Both were intercepted by locals near a mosque...and it was followed by a heated argument. While Firoz managed to escape, the mob allegedly thrashed Nazeem with sticks. Later, the mob themselves handed over Naseem to the police in Rasulpur village (Saran), after which he was rushed to a government hospital but died during treatment", said Gaurav Mangla, Superintendent of Police (SP), Saran.

The SP told PTI over phone, "Three persons have so far been arrested for mob lynching. Police have also launched a manhunt to nab other suspects involved in the case. The case is being investigated from all angles".

In Bihar, cow slaughter is illegal under the Bihar Preservation and Improvement of Animals Act, 1955, which prohibits the killing of cows and calves of cows, bulls, and bullocks. Hpwever, it continues unabated because of a loophole that permits the killing of a cow, buffalo or bull that is more than 15 years old or diseased.