Maharashtra: 5 men lynched to death over child lifting rumours on social media

Mumbai, July 2: Around 5 people were lynched to death on suspicion of child theft in Rainpada village of Dhule district on Sunday. The incident took place around 12:30 pm when a mob attacked the five men who had come to the village begging for money and shelter.

According to Locals,'There were rumours that they are child lifters and would kill villagers to take out their kidneys but the question is who told them that. This incident is scary.'

The police said that the rumours were being spread in the area through WhatsApp that child traffickers had come to the area.

So far, 15 villagers have been detained in connection with the incident. Videos of villagers brutally beating the motionless, bleeding bodies of the five individuals have also surfaced.

In June, two persons were lynched in Chandgaon village, in Vajipur taluka of Aurangabad, on the suspicion of being robbers. That case, however, was not lined to social media posts. Eight people were arrested in this connection.

The Maharashtra Police has asked its district police and commissionarates to submit reports on such incidents over the last three months.