Ranchi: An unidentified man, aged around 45 years, was lynched in Dumka, over 300km from here, after the body of a seven-year-old girl was found in the district's Barapalasi railway station on Wednesday.

According to police, the child was found dead in the ladies' toilet on the platform between 5pm and 6pm. The man, a vagabond who was perhaps mentally deranged, was targeted apparently because he was seated a stone's throw from the scene of crime.

A village mob thrashed him till police rushed to the spot past 7pm and took him to hospital. The man died at Patliputra Medical College and Hospital in Dhanbad on Thursday morning.

Jama thana OC Sanjay Kumar Malviya said the man was beaten up merely on suspicion after the girl, who lived in the vicinity of Barapalasi, was found dead. "He begged for a living and wasn't mentally stable. We are yet to establish his identity and whether he had anything to do with the dead child," the officer said.

"There are several settlements near the station. But, the girl's maternal grandmother has filed a case of abuse and murder against this unidentified man. He is now dead. And, we haven't come across anything suggesting the child was abused before murder. The medical report is awaited though," the OC said.

On reports of a scuffle between villagers and policemen on Wednesday, Malviya said it was nothing serious. "Some cops received minor bruises, which is common when you quell an agitation," he added.

Jeweller shot at

A jeweller, Yamuna Swarnakar, sustained bullet injuries on the right ear and hand after unidentified persons opened fire while attempting a robbery at his house at Bagodar in Giridih on Wednesday night.