Chennai: Two migrant labourers were brutally thrashed by a mob in the Teynampet area on Sunday evening on suspicion of being child lifters.
The incident occurred when the men were helping a child pick up currency notes she had dropped. Locals, acting on the basis of rumours circulating on WhatsApp about child lifters, attacked the duo.
However, they were rescued by the police and are undergoing treatment at a hospital.
A police official told PTI, “The child’s mother happens to be the labourers’ previous house owner. When she had gone to a nearby shop on Saturday night, some locals saw the two men patting the child.”
At least four such cases have been reported in Tamil Nadu since May 2018 where locals have been asked to be wary of ‘North Indian people’ who might try to abduct their children.
On May 10, a man from Thiruvaluvar district was mercilessly beaten up and hung from a bridge in Pulicat on suspicion of being a child lifter. About 24 hours later, an elderly woman distributing “foreign chocolates” in Thiruvannamali district was attacked by a mob.
The Tamil Nadu Police said they were visiting districts to spread awareness among people that they should not fall for fake WhatsApp messages. They have also asked locals to alert authorities if they notice a suspicious person instead of taking the law in their own hands.
(With PTI inputs)
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