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A man was lynched to death by residents in Charafkira union of Naokhali's Companiganj upazila in the early hours on Wednesday on suspicion of being a cattle thief, police said.
The identity of the deceased could not be known immediately.
A gang of thieves swooped on the cowsheds of Zakir Hossain and Noor Uddin in the Arjuntala area of the upazila around 3.30am, district SP Mohammad Shahidul Islam said.
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"Sensing the presence of the thieves, local people surrounded them and caught one of them while the others managed to flee. He was beaten to death by the villagers," the officer added.
The body was recovered by police and sent to the Noakhali General Hospital morgue for an autopsy.
"Additional police force has been deployed in the area to avert further trouble," he said.