An angry mob on Tuesday assaulted a youth so brutally that he succumbed to his injuries at a government hospital in Bihar’s Begusarai district.

The victim Saurabh Mahto and two of his aides were accused of shooting a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former mukhiya (panchayat chief) Sukhram Mahto at Barhara village under Birpur police station on Monday night. His wife is at present the sarpanch (panchayat judge).

Sukhram was returning home after attending a function in the same village. Saurabh and his two aides Bauelal Paswan and Navy Mahto allegedly fired at him and escaped on a motorcycle.

The villagers rushed him to a private hospital where he is currently undergoing treatment. He told them about the identity of the assailants.

“Three miscreants had shot and injured Sukhram. He was admitted to a private hospital for treatment. We identified the shooters and conducted raids till late on Monday night, but they all were absconding from their residences,” Begusarai Sadar sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Amit Kumar told reporters.

The supporters of the injured RJD leader started looking for the three youths and traced Saurabh to his house.

“We got information today (Tuesday) morning that the villagers have caught the main accused Saurabh Mahto and were thrashing him. A police team reached the spot within 15 minutes of getting the information and rescued him. He was admitted to Sadar Hospital in Begusarai town. He died while undergoing treatment,” the SDPO added.