A mob thrashed a group of five god-men from Uttar Pradesh on suspicion of being child abductors at a locality in west Tripura on Saturday. The incident occurred at Teliamura in Khowai district, about 43-km east of Agartala.
The police said one of the five god-men was wounded. A mob thrashed them after detaining them over rumours of child abduction at Shanti Nagar at the Teliamura police station limit.
The incident occurred outside a Shiva temple. Police have kept the god-men at the station and are verifying their credentials as well as the claims of the local residents.
The god-men have been identified as Jitendra Goswami, Bajraj Goswami, Dinesh Goswami, Dharambir Singh and Tinku Singh. They are residents of Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh, and claimed to be on a pilgrimage.
A police officer at the Teliamura police station said he reached the spot with a strong security contingent immediately after receiving information and rescued the men from the irate mob.