Baksa police have arrested three persons in connection with the killing of two brothers in the district.

The brothers, identified as Biswajit Das, 24, and Haradhan Das or Heba, 35, with criminal records — released from jail a few days back on parole owing to the Supreme Court directive to decongest prisons due to the Covid-19 outbreak, were allegedly “lynched” by villagers at home in Athiabari village near Simaluguri in lower Assam’s Baksa district bordering Barpeta district, 120km from Guwahati, around 8am on Wednesday.

All the arrested persons are from the Athiabari village.

P. Thube, superintendent of police (SP), Baksa, told The Telegraph the three suspects who assaulted them were arrested on Thursday and a hunt is on to track down the others.

“There were many people but all were not involved in the assault. Currently, we are searching looking for three to five more suspects,” Thube said.

“We are trying to ascertain what exactly transpired between the villagers and the men. A mob attacked their house and killed the two,” he added.

The police denied that it is a case of lynching.

“The police suspect ‘village enmity’ as the villagers were fed up with the victims’ criminal activities. The brothers had several cases of dacoity and extortion against them. It is not lynching,” a senior police officer of Gobardhana police station said.