Lucknow: A 32-year-old man died in Uttar Pradesh`s Bareilly district on Thursday after being tied to a tree and assaulted over suspicion of theft. Local police have registered a case of assault and said arrests will be made shortly. In disturbing visuals of the incident the man - whom the cops have said is a drug addict named Wasid - can be seen bound to a tree trunk by his hands.

At least a dozen others can be seen standing around Wasid, who is wearing a red t-shirt and straining at the ropes lashed around his wrists. The men gathered around can be heard chatting and laughing; some even come right up to Wasid, who seems to be begging for help, to take photographs and videos on their mobile phones. According to the police, Wasid allegedly stole some items from a government office in the area. He was, however, caught by two guards and then tied to the tree and assaulted - by the guards and other locals.

"After he was beaten Wasid was brought to the station. Here the people he stole from came and said that they had got back their belonging and did not want to file charges, as he was their neighbour," Sansar Singh, the Superintendent of Police (Rural), Bareilly, said. The people who came for Wasid said that he had been beaten and also did not want any charges to be filed, Mr Singh also said, adding that Wasid did not seem to have any serious injuries.

In a second video (taken at the police station) Wasid can be seen sitting on a wooden bench in apparent pain. Holding a dirty rag to what appears to be a wound on his right knee, he can be seen rocking back and forth while a policeman in a face mask looks on impassively. Wasid, who was released following the "compromise" at the police station, died about an hour or so later. A post-mortem is being conducted, the police said, and action will be taken after its results are revealed.

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