PALAKKAD: A youth was beaten to death by a mob after being mistaken for bike theft. The incident happened Friday early morning at 1 am at Olavacode in Palakkad. The dead has been identified as 27-year-old Rafeeq of Kadukkamkunnu in Malampuzha. The north police have taken three youths, natives of Alathura, Pallasana and Kollangode, into custody. They have a direct role in the incident.

A team of youths examined the CCTV footages after they lost their bike kept near the bar hotel. The visuals show one going with a bike. Following that, they caught Rafeeq and beat him cruelly. Though the police reached the spot and rushed him to Palakkad district hospital, his life could not be saved. The police have intensified search for others involved in the incident.