A youth was killed while another was seriously injured after an irate mob accused them of stealing a goat and brutally thrashed them in Begusarai district of Bihar on Friday.

The incident occurred at Bhavnandpur village under Birpur police station and the deceased was identified as Mohit Kumar, 23, of nearby Birpur village, while another victim Rahul Kumar, 25, was admitted to Begusarai district hospital in critical condition.

According to the police officials, the two youths had allegedly stolen a goat belonging to one Manoj Paswan of the village and were fleeing on a motorcycle. The villagers caught them and severely thrashed them.

“We were going on the motorcycle when it dashed into a goat. We fell down. People thought that we were stealing the goat and started beating us,” Mohit is heard speaking in one of the videos that went viral on social media.

“A police team rushed to Bhavanandpur and rescued both the youths. They were taken to the hospital where one of them succumbed to his injuries, while the other is in serious condition,” deputy superintendent of police (headquarters) Ramesh Prasad Singh told reporters.