Man lynched in Sylhet on allegations of cattle theft

A man has died in Sylhet's Gowainghat Upazila after enduring hours of torture, including being forced to drink acid water mixed with lime and sand, over allegations of cattle theft, reports bdnews24.com.
Another young boy, also tortured under suspicion of theft, is in critical condition at a hospital.
The incident occurred in the Radhanagar village around 2am on Wednesday, said Gowainghat Police Station chief Tofayel Ahmed.
The deceased has been identified as Helal Mia, 35, from the Upazila's Daubari Union. A video of the brutal episode has gone viral on social media.
The four-minute and seven-second clip shows a mob gathered around Helal and the teenager in a field.
Some people in the crowd were filming the scene on their mobile phones.
In the footage, Helal is seen lying face down on the ground, his hands tied behind his back.
A man in a lungi and white t-shirt is seen stepping on Helal's back while another person mercilessly beats his feet with a stick.
During this, the victim can be heard screaming. Shortly after, the first man presses Helal's face into the ground and sits on his neck.
Another person then continues to beat his feet and other parts of his body with a bamboo stick.
Nearby, the teenager was bound with his hands behind his back and unable to walk.
He was later forced to join in beating Helal.
The crowd gathered around them was discussing cattle theft, and a red cow was also present at the scene.
Locals said the two victims were detained by villagers early on Tuesday and subjected to torture throughout the day.
OC Tofayel said, "After being detained on suspicion of cattle theft, Helal was beaten by the villagers. At one point, half a kg of lime was mixed with water, followed by sand. The mixture was then forced into Helal's mouth."
"Around 6am on Wednesday, Helal began vomiting, and white liquid was coming from his nose.
"He was repeatedly passing stool, and his family later reported that blood was mixed with it. He died shortly after."
OC Tofayel said efforts are under way to arrest the culprits, with a joint operation being conducted by police and the Detective Branch, or DB.
"Such incidents are very unfortunate, and those involved will be arrested," he added.
The body has been sent to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examination.
The critically injured teenager from the Upazila's Chargram Chatol Haor has been admitted to the same hospital.