A 65-year-old man was beaten to death by what police said was a group of villagers in Rajshahi's Bagmara yesterday.

Ibrahim, who was a resident of Kamarbari area of the upazila, was declared dead minutes after he was taken to a hospital around 3:00pm, said Nasim Uddin, officer-in-charge of Bagmara Police Station.

His body bore marks of torture, he said.

On Monday, two cows of farmer Atikur Rahman of Kalupara village were allegedly stolen, he said.

Atikur and his brother Shariful Islam suspected that Ibrahim had stolen the cow, he added.

Atikur, Shariful and some of their cohorts forcibly picked Ibrahim up from his village home yesterday afternoon and took him to Atikur's house and beat him up, said the OC.

Ibrahim's wife Reshma said she followed her husband and his captors to Atikur's house.

“I saw some people beating my husband up with iron rods and sticks,” she told The Daily Star.

She said Atikur's men took Ibrahim to the upazila health complex after he lost consciousness due to beating.

“Some of the men hit him with their shoes even as he was being taken to the hospital,” she said.  

Police arrested Majnu, 38, and Majnu, 26, after the grieving woman filed a case accusing nine named and ten unnamed persons.

Police said Atikur went into hiding.