Hyderabad, Sep 2 (IANS): Tension gripped Telangana's Khammam town on Tuesday after a mob angry over the death of a youth under suspicious circumstances set afire a car of a corporator. The deceased was working at the corporator's house.

Alleging that corporator Ramamurthy Naik sacrificed the youth in the hunt for a hidden treasure, a mob chased his car. They damaged the vehicle while he ran into the local school and hid there. Police reached there to rescue the corporator.

When the police were shifting the car to the police station, the mob again attacked it and set it afire. The vehicle was completely gutted.

Anand, who joined as housekeeping assistant at Naik's residence last month, died under suspicious circumstances on August 18. His relatives alleged that the corporator sacrificed him for treasure.

The police registered a case of death under suspicious circumstances and were investigating.

On Tuesday, the relatives of the deceased youth stopped Naik at Koikondai village, when he was going in his car. They questioned him about the youth's death.

The corporator allegedly manhandled the victim's father which angered the villagers. They started attacking the vehicle, forcing the corporator to hide himself in a school.

The corporator later denied the allegations. He said Anand died after getting epileptic attack while erecting a tent. He said they shifted him to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead.