Patna, Aug 17 (IANS) Three suspected thieves were lynched by a mob in Bihar's Gaya district, police said on Monday.

Police said four people were caught by a mob after they allegedly entered a house on Sunday night in Vishnuganj village. Three of them were beaten to death and one was critically injured.

"They were beaten to death with bamboo sticks after being caught by a mob. They were killed as suspected thieves," Gaya Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj said.

Police have lodged a case of murder against half-a-dozen unidentified people.

In rural Bihar, street justice is common and this year alone, over two dozen incidents of lynching were reported.