The Chamarajpet Police on Thursday arrested 14 people, including four women and two juveniles, for allegedly lynching a 26-year-old construction labourer from Rajasthan after mistaking him for a child snatcher.
The accused are residents of Pension Mohalla, where the incident took place on Wednesday afternoon. According to the police, they attacked the victim, Kaluram, based on rumours on social media warning people about child-trafficking gangs on the prowl in the city.
They were convinced that Kaluram was part of a gang after they saw him wandering in their locality, said the police. He was caught, tied up, dragged on the road and kicked and beaten with clubs and sticks. By the time the police arrived at the scene he was bleeding profusely and succumbed to injuries on the way to hospital.
“We have arrested 14 people, based on CCTV footage and mobile-phone video clips that were recorded by curious onlookers during the gruesome attack,” said DCP (West) Ravi D. Chennannavar. One of the prime accused is 26-year-old Anbu, who has criminal cases pending against him.
Many involved in lynching
The police are likely to make more arrests as clips have shown that over 40 to 50 people participated in the lynching. “There are more people involved in the lynching incident; and they are presently on the run. Efforts are on to nab them,” a senior police officer said .
Investigations so far have revealed that Kaluram worked as a construction labourer first in Gujarat for two years and then in Pune for a year.
Last month, he returned to his hometown in Rajasthan with ₹12,000 in savings, which he handed over to his brother. “We believe he came to Bengaluru probably in search of a job,” said a senior police officer.
Residents saw him wandering in Pension Mohalla in Bakshi Garden probably waiting for his contacts. “However, they found his behaviour suspicious and when they realised that he was not a local, they mistook him for a child snatcher,” the officer added.
The police obtained copies of his Aadhaar from his pocket and alerted the local community from Rajasthan to help them track down his family members, who are on their way to Bengaluru.
Protests at Chamarajpet
After the arrests on Thursday, family members of the accused staged a protest alleging that they had been arrested under false charges. Senior police officers were called in to quell the mob and disperse the protesters.
