Child strangled for gold earrings in Bengal

Kolkata, May 16 (IANS) Attracted by a five-year-old girl's gold earrings, a middle aged man strangled her to rob the ornaments in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, police said Wednesday. The attacker was later thrashed by people.

The incident took place in Mahishmara village of the district, some 250 km from Kolkata.

"Nasir Sheikh, 40, with the view to take the golden earrings of Rina Khatoon strangled her to death. A village woman saw him committing the crime and following her shouts, the residents gathered and thrashed Sheikh," said Murshidabad Additional Superintendent of Police Indra Chakrabarty.

Sheikh lured the child with a toffee to a secluded place and tried to snatch the rings but when she started shouting, he panicked and choked her to death, said another police officer.

The man would be presented in a court Thursday.