KOLKATA // Four men were burnt to death in eastern India as suspected punishment for stealing cattle from a rival criminal gang, a senior police officer said on Monday.
The four bodies were found in a village in West Bengal state close to the border with Bangladesh on Sunday evening, the police commissioner of nearby Siliguri city said.
Two of the bodies were found inside a burnt out van, also containing one of the suspected stolen cows, while the other two bodies were found nearby, police commissioner Jagmohan, who uses one name, said.
“There were injury marks on the heads and other parts of the bodies. We suspect that the four men were beaten up before being set on fire,” Jagmohan said.
“Two of them were burnt beyond recognition while the other two bodies were partially charred.
“Preliminary investigation has revealed that the incident was a fallout between two groups of [rival] cattle smugglers.”
No arrests have been made over the incident at Balaram Jote village, about 620 kilometres from the West Bengal capital Kolkata.
“The bodies were sent to a state-run hospital for post mortem,” Jagmohan said.
Cattle stealing for smuggling across the border into Bangladesh is a common problem in the area, according to authorities.
* Agence France-Presse
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Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
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Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
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Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
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