A man was lynched by residents of Dakshindari, in north Calcutta, on Saturday morning.

Bapi, 30, a goon operating in the Ultadanga and Lake Town areas, was chased by the mob after he was found stealing from a shop. He was caught and beaten up between Dakshindari Main Road and the circular railway track, near Patipukur station.

Bapi, a resident of the slums of Ultadanga, was rushed to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where he was pronounced brought dead, said K. Jayraman, additional superintendent of police, Salt Lake. “The group must have spotted Bapi stealing something in Ultadanga and chased him. Since we are yet to identify who chased him, we do not know why he was lynched.”

Jayraman said Bapi was a petty thief who had five cases pending against him. On Friday night, he was chased by a group of people from Ultadanga. He crossed the railway bridge and entered the Dakshindari area. However, the group continued to chase him. Alerted by their cries, residents of Dakshindari intercepted him. Police said he was brutally beaten up with bamboo sticks and bricks. The assault continued till 3.30 am and his unconscious body, bleeding profusely, was left beside the tracks.

At 5.30 am, passersby spotted his body and informed the Lake Town police station. “There is no specific case against any person. It is not possible for us to make an arrest,” said Sitaram Sinha, officer-in-charge of Lake Town police station.