Bengaluru mob terms Rajasthan man child-lifter, beats him to death

: A 26-year-old man was lynched by a mob here on Wednesday on the suspicion that he was a child lifter. The police have arrested 14 persons, including two minors, for the man’s murder on Thursday.

Kaluram, a native of Rajasthan, has been identified as the deceased. While the police contacted Kaluram’s family in Rajasthan, it was unclear when he had moved to the city as his brother said he was working in Pune till about two months ago, the police said.

The accused have been identified as Anbu (26), Vasanthkumar (32), Gopi (18), Balan (30), Nanda (20), Tirumalesh (28), and Rajesh (18), apart from two minors, while five others are yet to be identified.

A video purportedly showing Kaluram being dragged on the streets was circulated on social media platforms. However, Hindustan Times was not able to confirm the authenticity of the video.

Around 1.40 pm on Wednesday the police control room received a complaint of an alleged child-lifter lurking in the Chamarajpet are, police said.

However, police said, by the time a patrol vehicle reached the area the police personnel noticed that a large mob had gathered. The mob was seen dragging Kaluram on the road, while some were beating him with sticks.

“By the time the patrol team reached the spot, the mob had already dragged the deceased for a short distance and he had beaten him up quite badly. The mob dispersed as soon as the patrol team arrived, leaving Kaluram on the road with his hands and legs tied,” said Prashanth, Chamarajpet police inspector.

“Kaluram was still breathing when the police reached the spot, he succumbed to his injuries en route to the Victoria Hospital nearby and was declared brought dead,” Prashanth said. “We are unsure why the suspicion of child lifting arose. We are investigating the matter,” he said.

BENGALURU