A couple was dragged out of their house and beaten to death by villagers at Nischintapur in the Tehatta area of Nadia district in West Bengal on Saturday morning after the body of an eight-year-old missing boy was found in a nearby pond, police said.

According to police, the boy went missing on Friday afternoon after he had gone out to play. His body was found on Saturday morning from a small pond near his neighbour’s house, leading to widespread outrage among villagers.

A section of the villagers attacked the house of the neighbours, identified as Uttam Mondol and his wife Soma, accusing them of child trafficking and alleged involvement in the boy’s murder, police said.

“After the boy’s body was recovered, some villagers gheraoed Uttam’s house. They confronted Uttam. The villagers claimed that Uttam admitted that he abducted the boy for trafficking and then later killed him… After that, a section of villagers dragged Uttam and his wife out in front of their house. When a police team reached the spot, the villagers had beaten the couple to death. The mob also set a portion of the couple’s house on fire,” a senior police officer said.

“We have started an investigation and are verifying whether Uttam and his family or any other person is involved in the death of the child,” a senior police officer said.

The villagers alleged that Uttam and his wife were involved in child trafficking.

The boy’s father, meanwhile, said that they had no enmity with the couple.

Police are yet to arrest those who were allegedly involved in the lynching of the couple. The bodies of the minor and the couple have been sent for post-mortem examination.

“After the post-mortem report, we will try to arrest the main culprits,” the officer said, adding that two cases, one related to the boy’s murder and another on the lynching, have been registered.

The area has been cordoned off, and a heavy police force has been deployed to maintain law and order.

PTI adds: The post-mortem conducted on the boy revealed that he was “strangulated with the help of a gamcha”, a police officer said.

“The report confirms that the boy was murdered. A ligature mark was found around his neck. There are clear marks of strangulation. The crime took place sometime between 4 pm and 6.30 pm yesterday,” he said, adding the body of the boy was wrapped in tarpaulin.

Meanwhile, another member of the Uttam’s family was also injured in the attack by the locals, and his condition is “very critical”. The injured was shifted to a Kolkata-based hospital after his condition deteriorated.