BAREILLY: A 20-year-old Muslim

youth

was allegedly attacked by a group of 50 villagers who suspected him to be a cattle thief. The incident was reported from

Hindoliya village in UP's

in the early hours of Wednesday.

According to police, the victim, Shahrukh Khan, was still alive when they rescued him. However, he died during treatment. Khan and three other men were allegedly trying to steal a buffalo from the village when a large group of local residents surrounded them. While the three men accompanying him managed to escape, Khan was caught by the group.

An FIR has been lodged against 30 unidentified villagers. Police have also registered a case against Khan's accomplices. "Around 10pm on Tuesday, Khan insisted on going to our aunt's house. Our parents refused to let him step out at that hour as it was not safe. After sometime, his friends arrived and he stepped out with them. He promised us that he won't go too far," said the victim's brother, Wasim Khan.

Bareilly SP Abhinandan Singh said, "Shahrukh Khan and his aides were in the process of stealing a buffalo from the house of a local farmer named Gajendra Pal around 3am on Wednesday. However, the farmer spotted them and raised an alarm. A crowd of nearly 50 villagers gathered there. While his aides managed to flee, Khan was caught and was thrashed for several hours. We rescued him around 6am and rushed him to the hospital, where he later died."

"I tried to pacify the mob but they did not listen to me," said Gajendra Pal.