Kolkata, May 10 (IANS): A 24-year-old ITI student was lynched by a mob, which accused him of being a cattle thief, in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, police said on Tuesday. One of the alleged attackers has been arrested.

The incident happened on Monday evening at Harindanga in Diamond Harbour where the victim Koushik Purakait had come to visit his relatives.

According to the complaint filed by the family, a large mob thrashed Koushik accusing him of having stolen a buffalo.

The youth was brought to the city's SSKM Hospital where doctors declared him dead.

Police said they have arrested one of the alleged attackers and detained four others.

"We have arrested one person and detained four others for interrogation," said Superintendent of Police Sunil Kumar Choudhary.

Koushik's father in his complaint has named 10 people for the attack including Tapas Mallik, a panchayat member representing the state's ruling Trinamool Congress.

He also alleged police inaction.

"My son would have been alive if police had acted in time. While my son lay bleeding, some of the attackers demanded Rs.1 lakh from us," he said.

The incident has taken political colour with Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sujon Chakraborty pointing fingers at the Trinamool.

"Only animals can do such a thing, this cannot be an act of humans. We all know how Mallik led the attackers and lynched an innocent boy," said Chakraborty who met the father at the SSKM Hospital.