3 boys beaten up by mob for allegedly stealing goat

Three boys were beaten up by a mob for allegedly stealing a goat in West Bengal's Malda district today, police said.

The three, aged around 17, were trying to flee Raipur village near here after stealing a goat but local people caught hold of them, they said.

The mob thrashed them. Police rushed to the spot and admitted the trio to a hospital.

Their condition is stated to be "serious", police said.

The villagers alleged a number of goats were stolen from the village in the last few days.