They victims were identified as Billal, 27, Hanif, 45 and Ramzan, 35. All of them were accused in a number of cases, police said.

Police and villagers said the three kidnapped a 12-year old boy, Apon, of Tejkunipara in Dhaka, from a house he took refuge at a village in the upazila on Wednesday.

They confined the boy in Billal's house at the village from where he managed to escape yesterday morning and reached East Narail.

As the kidnappers continued to follow Apon, local people rescued him, caught three of the abductors and lynched them to death.

Apon, son of Afazuddin, left his house in Dhaka on Tuesday following a quarrel with his mother.