Bengaluru, May 24: The police arrested 14 persons, including two juveniles and four women on Thursday morning for allegedly lynching a 26-year-old man from Rajasthan on Wednesday afternoon after they mistook him for a child kidnapper.
The inhuman incident took place at Pension Mohalla, Chamrajpet in central Bengaluru, on Wednesday afternoon.
Of the eight men arrested, police identified six — Ambu, 26, Vasanth Kumar, 32, Gopi, 18, Balan, 30, Nanda, 20, Tirumalesh, 28, and Rajesh, 18 — while withholding the name of one person. The women accused are Anusha, 30, Susheela, 37, Indira, 37, and Vani, 41, while the two others are minors.
According to the police, the mob fury was sparked by some videos circulating on WhatsApp about the presence of a child kidnapping gang in Bengaluru and urging people to remain cautious.
The mob thought that the victim, Kaluram, was one such kidnapper after they saw him wandering aimlessly in the area.
They caught him, tied his hands and legs, dragged him on the road all the while kicking and beating him with clubs and sticks, said the police, who were alerted by a resident.
However, by the time the police arrived at the spot to rescue Kaluram, he was severely injured and bleeding profusely. “He succumbed to his injuries on the way to Victoria Hospital. We are trying to ascertain his background and the purpose of his visit to the area,” said a police officer.
The police later obtained the CCTV footage and video clips from onlookers who had recorded the lynching on their mobile.
“This tragic incident occurred because of rumours that were being circulated on social media about child abductors in the city. There are no such gangs in the City and people should not heed to such rumours,” said DCP Ravi D. Chennannavar.
Comments
Add new comment