Social media rumours claim five more lives in Maharashtra

Mumbai: Social media rumours about child-lifters claimed five more lives on Sunday as a group of men visiting a Dhule village in north Maharashtra were lynched by a mob despite Police intervention.

Around 5000 villagers from the tribal area of Rainpada in Dhule district were present at the scene when a mob set upon the visitors on suspicion of them being child-lifters.

Rumours about child-lifters operating in the tribal districts of Dhule and nearby Nandurbar have been flying thick and fast in recent days, both on social media and through word of mouth.

Dhule Police said a crowd at the weekly market began questioning the five men moments after they got off a state transport bus.

One of them had reportedly attempted to speak to a child.

“The villagers got into an argument with the men when the latter failed to give answers to their satisfaction. They started thrashing the men,” Police said. Times of India