Arrests after mob lynches man over text rumour

NEW DELHI: Indian police said they have arrested 25 people after a man was killed by a mob in the country’s latest lynching over suspicion of child kidnapping sparked by rumours on WhatsApp.

The men were arrested over the murder of 27-year-old Mohammad Azam who was attacked along with two friends by a 2,000-strong mob in southern Karnataka state’s Bidar district late Friday.

More than 20 people have been lynched in India after being accused of child abduction in the last two months, according to media reports.

Police yesterday said Azam and his companions were returning to neighbouring Hyderabad city after visiting their friend in Bidar when they stopped midway and offered chocolates to local children.

“One of them had bought chocolates from Qatar and tried to offer it to the children as a token of affection,” Bidar deputy police chief V. N. Patil said.

But one among the children started crying, alerting the elders who accused the men of being child kidnappers amid rife social media rumours about child kidnapping rings in the area, the officer said.

Patil said the three managed to flee from the spot but were attacked by a much larger mob a few kilometres ahead after locals alerted nearby villages via Whatsapp.

Their car flipped after hitting a roadblock placed by the angry mob before they were dragged out of the vehicle and beaten with sticks and stones.

Three policemen were injured in rescue attempts as the mob rampaged for nearly an hour. — AFP