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A 26-year-old man was lynched and two others were injured by a mob in Jharkhand's Palamu district on the suspicion of being thieves, police said on Thursday.
The three went to the house of a prospective bride at Tisibar village -- around 200 km from Ranchi -- on Wednesday evening. They were dragged out the house and beaten up by the mob after a member of the woman's family apparently spread a rumour that that they were thieves, said district Superintendent of Police Indrajit Mahatha.
The deputy SP reached the spot with a police team and rescued the three men, who are residents of the same village. Faced with stiff opposition, the police had to fire four rounds in the air to disperse the mob, but no one was injured, Mahatha said.
The three, all in their twenties, were rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors referred them to another one, about 15 km away. One of them succumbed to injuries after arriving at the hospital, the SP said.
Six people have been detained and family feud was suspected to be the reason behind spreading of the rumour, the officer said. "We have identified 23 miscreants involved in the incident and will take action against them following investigation. None involved in the incident will be spared."
Two cases -- for obstructing the police and murder -- have been registered. Security has been provided to the victims' family and police have launched vigil on the village to maintain peace, he added.
