Palakkad: Three people have been taken into custody after a 27-year-old tribal man was thrashed, tied up and harassed in Kerala’s Palakkad on Thursday evening. The man died a few hours later.

A resident of Attappady’s Kadukumanna tribal hamlet, A Madhu, was accused by locals of stealing valuables from a house three days ago. The mob, which caught Madhu from a nearby forest, clicked pictures of the man and even took selfies while he was tied up.

Madhu was handed over to Agali police around 6 pm, two-and-a-half hours after he was caught.

Police officials claim the man collapsed and died inside the police jeep while they were taking him to the hospital.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the incident and wrote on Facebook, "The incident is highly condemnable. I have directed state police chief to take strong action against the accused. Such incidents are not suitable or acceptable in a modern society. This is a black mark on our state's social and cultural progress. Strong action needs to be taken to ensure that such incidents are not repeated."

Kerala SC/ST minister AK Balan has said that a special police team had been formed to investigate the matter.