Lakhimpur Kheri, May 24 -- A 35-year-old man lynched to death early Saturday morning in Rajapur Bazar village under Khamaria police limits by a furious mob. Police officials said the incident occurred after vigilant family members foiled a theft attempt by the man and his two armed associates, who subsequently fled. Senior superintendent of police (SSP), Kheri, Dr Khyati Garg, identified the deceased as Munni Lal, a resident of Mandura village in Dhaurahra tehsil. SSP Garg noted that Munni Lal was a notorious criminal in the area, with 35 cases, including robbery and theft, registered against him at Khamaria police station. Dhaurahra deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Shamsher Bahadur Singh provided details of the incident, stating that Munni Lal and his two armed associates had scaled the roof of a house belonging to Sushil Bhargav in Rajapur Bazar. When the women of the house sensed unusual activity and raised an alarm, the miscreants jumped off the roof and tried to escape through the neighbouring fields. DSP Singh explained that Munni Lal hid in a banana field and was surrounded by incensed villagers. Finding themselves cornered, the alleged thieves attacked the villagers with sharp-edged weapons, injuring two villagers, identified as Ankit and Subhash, in their necks and hands. Incensed by the attack, a group of villagers opened a retaliatory attack on the thieves in self-defense with heavy wooden sticks. The beating left Munni Lal dead on the spot, while the two others managed to escape. SSP Dr Khyati Garg confirmed that a case has been lodged, and efforts are underway to identify, locate, and arrest the criminals who fled....