An unidentified man suspected to be a thief, was beaten to death and tied to a tree on the Tema-Afienya road Friday. The naked body of the middle-aged man, revealed bruises, raising suspicion that he was heavily dragged on the ground before being tied to the tree. He had his penis tied with a wire from a mini-advert billboard, while his knees were tied against a bicycle suspected to belong to him. His ankles and wrists were firmly tied to the tree as well. The murdered man smelt of petrol with blood stains on his nose, mouth and right ear, which was almost falling off. This raised further suspicion among onlookers that his killers had attempted to burn him alive. At the time graphic.com.gh arrived at the scene of the incident, curious residents and passers-by had gathered wondering who could have been behind the incident. Several road users had also slowed down to either catch a glimpse or take photographs of the lifeless body. The situation caused a huge traffic build-up on that stretch of the highway, inconveniencing several travellers and holidaymakers on Founder’s Day. Nobody around could tell what could have led to the suspected thief’s killing. Some onlookers who spoke to graphic.com.gh, believed that he was killed somewhere and later dragged and tied to the tree at the popular bus stop. While some commuters and passers-by condemned the act and suggested that killing a thief or suspect was cruel, others argued that instant killing and hanging of a thief in public would deter others.