Suspected childlifter lynched in Bengaluru

VIGILANTE JUSTICE A video purportedly showing Rajasthan man being dragged on the streets was circulated on social media platforms

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

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 were yet to be identified. A video purportedly showing Kaluram being dragged on the streets was circulated on social media platforms. However, HT was not able to confirm the authenticity of the video.

Kaluram, a native of Rajasthan, has been identified as the deceased. 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 of those in the mob were beating him with sticks.

“By the time the patrol team reached the spot, the mob had already dragged the deceased for a short distances and he had been beaten 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.

BENGALURU:

THE MOB WAS SEEN DRAGGING KALURAM ON THE ROAD, WHILE SOME OF THOSE IN THE MOB WERE BEATING HIM

“While 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. “As yet we are unsure why the suspicion of child lifting arose. We are investigating the matter,” he said.

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, police said.

The police also appealed to the residents of the city to not take the law into their hands.

In an appeal released to the public, the police said: “There are no child lifters in the city and we appeal to the public to not get swayed by false information. If there are any suspicious individuals roaming around, we request the public to inform he police first”.