Another lynching case: Man suspected to be child-lifter beaten to death by mob in Chhattisgarh
As rumours about a gang of child-lifters being in the area were swirling around, the villagers thought the man was a part of some such gang and beat him to death with sticks, he said.
In yet another case of lynching triggered by rumours, an unidentified man was allegedly beaten to death by a mob on suspicion of being a child-lifter in Chhattisgarh's Sarguja district on Friday.
The incident took place at Mendrakla village, police said.
The man, around 40 years old, arrived in the village this morning, but when people asked him who he was and where he was coming from, he could give no answers, said a police official.
As rumours about a gang of child-lifters being in the area were swirling around, the villagers thought the man was a part of some such gang and beat him to death with sticks, he said.
Around ten people from the village were arrested by the police and a further probe was on.
Incidents of people lynching outsiders due to rumours circulating on social media were being reported from many parts of the country of late.
The official said the police was visiting villages in the area and asking people not to believe the rumours. One such meeting had been held at Mendrakla village too, he said.
In a separate incident, two people were allegedly thrashed on suspicion of being child lifter in Gujarat's Dwarka district.
Police said that an audio clip informing about 300 men running a child-lifting racket went viral on WhatsApp few days ago.
The gang is alleged to have abducted children belonging to the age group of five to six years.
"An investigation in the matter is underway," said Assistant Superintendent of Police, Prashant Sumbe while talking to the media.
Earlier, in a similar incident, two men were lynched on suspicion of being child lifter in Assam's Karbi Anglong on June 11.