A lynch mob took selfies as they tied up a tribesman accused of stealing before beating him to death in an attack that has sparked outrage in India.

Pictures show the frail-looking man, identified as Madhu, with his arms secured around his waist in Attappadi, in the southern Indian state of Kerala.

The 30-year-old, a member of local tribal group the Adivasi, was severely beaten with sticks having been accused of theft and later died, according to local media.

An image showing a man grinning and posing for a selfie with Madhu standing helplessly behind him has been widely shared in India with a prominent actor condemning the attack as 'mob justice'.

A lynch mob took selfies as they tied up a tribesman accused of stealing before beating him to death in an attack that has sparked outrage in India

Pictures show the frail-looking man, identified as Madhu, with his arms secured around his waist in Attappadi, in the southern Indian state of Kerala

A manhunt is now underway for those involved in the murder.

Police said a team had descended on the scene having received reports of the incident.

They stopped the beating but Madhu died before he could receive hospital treatment.

Graphic footage of the incident was aired on Indian television stations and sparked outrage among viewers.

The state chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan took to social media to say that 'strict action' would be taken against the attackers.

He described the incident as a 'blot' on Kerala's progressive society.

Keralan actor Mammooty added: 'Madhu's death is because our system is responsible... a system which has ordered mob justice and a person who attacks another is no human. How can we declare ourselves modern and progressive?' t

The 30-year-old, a member of local tribal group the Adivasi, was severely beaten with sticks having been accused of theft and later died, according to local media

There were some reports that Madhu suffered from a mental illness.

A former worker at a government-run body called the Attappadi Hills Area Development Society said the death was an example of how Indians had treated tribal people abominably.

Usha Punathil wrote online of the incident: 'After stealing the land and everything the Adivasis owned, and making legislation for all that, now an Adivasi is beaten to death.

'He had nowhere to go when he was attacked. An Adivasi is killed accused of stealing food, then how should we who have stolen everything from them be killed?'