Screengrab taken from a video showing a tribal youth being harassed by local people.

A. Madhu, a 27-year-old tribal youth, was beaten to death by a group of people at Kadukumanna hamlet in Attappady, near Palakkad, on Thursday evening, the police said.

After catching the youth from nearby forests around 4 p.m., the local people attacked him with sticks for allegedly stealing valuables from the house of a local person three days ago and handed him over to the Agali police around 6.30 p.m. The police said he collapsed and died in the police jeep when they were taking him to the Government Tribal Specialty Hospital at Kottathara.

Case against 15

An attempt to murder case has been registered against 15 people. On the basis of the autopsy report, more relevant sections would be applied, police said.

The body was taken to the Agali government hospital for autopsy by 7 p.m. Agali Dy.SP N. Subrahmaniyan said Madhu was mentally challenged and used to stay in the forest occasionally. He maintained no contact with his family.