A 50-year-old man, accused of stealing cattle, was beaten to death by a mob in Bihar’s Araria district, The Indian Express reported on Friday.

The incident took place on Wednesday in Bhavanipur village. A resident reportedly saw a group of men stealing cattle that belonged to another villager and raised an alarm.

A group of residents of the village then tried to catch hold of those who were allegedly stealing cattle. One of the men who were being chased had fired a gun in the air, said Nagina Kumar, the in-charge of the Fulkaha police station, under whose jurisdiction the village falls.

“However, while others managed to flee the spot taking advantage of the fog, Mohammed Siddiqui was caught and beaten up by the people with wooden sticks...,” Kumar told The Indian Express. “There was an estimated gathering of around 100 people.”

The police have filed a first information report and were speaking to the residents of the Bhavanipur village to identify the attackers.

An unidentified senior police officer in Araria told The Hindu that his department regularly receives complaints of cattle theft, but not of mob violence. “Arrests will be made soon in the case,” the official added.