Kolkata, May 12 (Mumbai Mirror): At a time when scams running into crores are in the news, a nine-year-old girl, who allegedly lifted a watermelon in a dusty village in West Bengal, was beaten to death on Sunday.

Two girls of the same age Kulsum and Shahbanu were grazing goats in their village when they sighted a jeep laden with watermelons.

“The girls from Bhawanipur village are from very poor families. Kulsum quietly walked up to the jeep and lifted a watermelon,” said a local. “Surely, hunger and thirst made her steal.”

Kulsum’s body at the spot where she was tied and beaten up The girls were unaware that the traders Subhas, Pancham and Ram were standing nearby. One of them caught Kulsum red-handed and both the girls were tied to a pole, said locals.

“They beat up the girls ruthlessly with a stick. On hearing their cries, a few locals gathered, but by then Kulsum was lying lifeless,” said another local. “The villagers rescued Shahbanu and rushed the girls to the local public health centre.”

Shahabanu, who is injured, faces no danger to life. “The locals were furious on seeing Kulsum lying dead,” said a policeman. “Sensing the tension, Subhash fled the spot and locals caught hold of Pancham and Raj before they could slip away.”

It was the onlookers who informed the girls’ families and also alerted the police. “We rescued one girl and caught the traders who killed the other child,” villager Masadur Khan told Mumbai Mirror. “Strangely, some media channels are blaming us for the incident."