A MIGRANT worker from Assam died after a mob allegedly tortured him and forced him to lie down on the road in the sweltering heat for hours, in Kottayam district on Wednesday.

According to the police, the victim, identified as Kailash Jyothi Behra, 31, arrived in Kottayam with three others early on Wednesday. It was Behra’s first trip to Kerala. The four boarded a bus to Chingavanam in the district, but Behra reportedly got separated from his friends.

Later in the day, Behra was reportedly seen wandering around in Chiravamuttam village. Some villagers mistook him for a thief and tortured him, tying up his hands and legs and forcing him to lie down on the road. The incident occurred around noon, when the temperature was about 37 degrees Celsius.

“Police reached the spot on being alerted. We found him foaming at the mouth and rushed him to hospital, where the doctors declared him dead,” said a Chingavanam police officer. He said the police found about 50 men surrounding the victim at the spot, near Chiravamuttam temple.

Police said they have identified the accused. An autopsy is set to be conducted on Thursday to ascertain the cause of death. While no arrests have been made yet, police said further action would be taken based on the autopsy report.

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