From correspondents in West Bengal, India, 10:31 PM IST

Four people beat a youth to death in West Bengal Sunday after he failed to repay a loan he had taken from one of them, police said.

The incident took place in Gangarampur town in South Dinajpur district.

'Subol Roy, 25, had taken a loan from a local criminal Bichchu in January this year. But he failed to repay the loan on time. Bichchu and his four gang-mates Sunday afternoon dragged Roy out of his residence and beat him to death in public,' an officer of the Gangarampur police station said.

'None of the locals could protest out of fear for their lives and Bichchu and his gang-mates fled before police could reach the spot,' he added.

Following the incident, residents of the area blocked roads to demand police protection.

'Some policemen have been deployed in the area after the incident. In the meantime, we are looking for Bichchu,' the police officer added.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)