A 32-year-old man was on Wednesday beaten to death on the suspicion of cow theft near Patna in Bihar, NDTV reported. The police said six accused have been arrested.

The incident took place in Phulwari Sharif. The victim, identified as Muhammad Alamgir, was thrashed after he was allegedly seen untying a buffalo from a cattle shed around 3 am.

A local resident told The Telegraph that the owner of the cattle shed, Srikant Rai, heard two men untie one of his 12 buffaloes. Several people surrounded the place after Rai raised an alarm, the resident said. Following this, Alamgir was thrashed. The police were informed about the incident, and he was taken to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday afternoon.

Another person accompanying Alamgir managed to escape.

“The police told us that he was beaten to death while trying to steal cattle,” Alamgir’s mother Noorjahan Khatoon said. “I don’t believe this.” However, the police said Alamgir had previously been jailed for cattle theft.