One man was beaten to death and another injured by a mob in India's Rajasthan state late on Sunday night over suspicion they were smuggling cows, local media reported.

According to a report by Indian publication NDTV, the two men — Babu Lal Bhil and Pintu — who were transporting cows in their vehicle were forced to stop near the Begu town in Chittorgarh by the mob who snatched their mobile phones and documents and started beating them.

Udaipur Inspector General of Police Satyavir Singh said that around midnight, the incharge of the police station was informed that "a gang was beating some people carrying cows in their vehicle."

"They (the attackers) had snatched away the men's documents and mobile phones. When the police arrived, they ran away [...] our officers rescued both men and took them to a hospital, where Babu lost his life. Pintu is now in stable condition," the report quoted the official as saying.

Singh said police had visited the site of the attack to conduct further investigation and had also detained some people.

"We are now going through the incident properly. No accused person will be spared," Singh added, according to NDTV.

There have been several incidents of cow vigilantism in India in the past. Last week, a 55-year-old man was shot and killed in India's Uttar Pradesh area on suspicions of cow smuggling.

A Human Rights Watch report published in 2019 stated at least 44 people, 36 of them Muslims, were killed in cow vigilantism attacks in India between May 2015 and December 2018.