New Delhi , India ( CNN ) A mob , consisting of thousands of people , stormed a prison compound in India 's far northeast , dragging out a rape suspect before beating him to death on the streets on Thursday , authorities say . Police say they tried to stave off the mob with tear gas and opened fire , killing one person . The crowd targeted a 35-year-old suspect , identified as an undocumented Bangladeshi settler , who died of his injuries before officers could rescue him , said L.L . Doungal , the director-general of police in the remote Nagaland state , where the attack took place . The mob that broke into the main jail in the state 's Dimapur district was comprised of `` thousands '' of people , Doungal told CNN . `` Many of them were students in uniform , '' he said . The suspect was accused of raping a local woman on February 23 . Tensions between the native Naga and undocumented Bangladeshi migrants in the district have been simmering for some time , police said . On Thursday evening , thousands of people who were demanding the cancellation of trade permits for Bengali-speaking settlers , tore into the prison complex and pulled the suspect out . Police initially used tear gas and bamboo canes to rescue the inmate , but were not successful , Doungal said . `` There were students in uniform . So , we had to use minimum force , '' he said . The crowd planned to lynch the suspect , but he died from critical injuries suffered in the attack . `` We retrieved his body before it could be ( hanged ) , '' Doungal said . Dimapur town has been placed under curfew , according to the officer , as the situation remains volatile .
Mob pulls rape suspect out of jail and kills him . Suspect was undocumented CNN settler . Racial tensions between local Naga people and CNN migrants high .