Two persons were beaten to death by a mob when they were trying to flee after gunning down an ex-army man in Bihar's Rohtas district, police said.
A third alleged assailant was also badly thrashed and he is undergoing treatment at a government hospital and his condition is reported to be stable, they said.
The deceased has been identified as Bijendra Singh (55), an ex-army man. The two men, who were lynched by a mob, were identified as Mithilesh Kumar (23) and Aditya Kumar (25). The third assailant has been identified as Ajeet Kumar.
Superintendent of Police, Vineet Kumar told reporters on Wednesday evening that, "The incident took place near Kalyani village at around 9.45 am on Wednesday, when three bike-borne armed assailants were fleeing after allegedly gunning down a retired army man and former mukhiya contestant Bijendra Singh.
"The local residents chased the three assailants and assaulted them. A villager, Ankit Kumar was shot at and injured by one of the assailants when they were caught by the villagers. Immediately after getting the information, police reached the spot."
Bijendra Singh died on the spot, the SP said, adding armed assailants were taken to the nearest hospital where Mithilesh Kumar and Aditya Kumar were declared dead by the doctors.
The third assailant is undergoing treatment at the government hospital, he added.
"The reason behind the killing of an ex-army man is yet to be ascertained. A special team has been set up to solve the mystery behind the murder of Bijendra Singh and the subsequent mob lynching that claimed the lives of two persons," said the SP.
