11 arrested for lynching two youths in Cooch Behar

Eleven persons have been arrested for alleged involvement in the lynching of two youths in northern West Bengal's Cooch Behar district, the police said on Friday. The accused suspected the youths to be cattle smugglers and beat them to death.

"Eleven people have been arrested so far," an officer of the Kotwali police station told IANS.

The incident occurred early on Thursday in Ketarhat of Putimary-Phuleshwari Gram Panchayat area under Cooch Behar 1 administrative block.

"The two victims were caught by locals who suspected them to be cattle smugglers. They were beaten up mercilessly," said the officer.

Police later rescued the youths - Prakash Das (35) and Rabiul Islam (40) and admitted them to Cooch Behar Medical College Hospital where they died.IANS