Two Lynched to Death in Assam's Karbi Anglong on WhatsApp Rumours of Child Abduction
A fear psychosis has gripped in parts of Assam as rumours have gone viral on social media about the the "child abduction gang" which is stealing newborns, toddlers and children.
Guwahati, June 9: Two youths were lynched in Assam's Karbi Anglong region on Friday on WhatsApp rumours of child abduction. The deceased, identified as Abhijeet Nath and Nilotpal Das, had went to Karbi Anglong on a vacation.
The local villagers, however, suspected them to be child thieves and gheraoed their cars. When the youths tried to escape, they were apprehended by the locals and physically assaulted till death.
By the time the police arrived at the spot, the duo had succumbed to the injuries. Their bodies were sent to the nearby government hospital for post-mortem. The autopsy report is awaited.
A fear psychosis has gripped in parts of Assam as rumours have gone viral on social media about the the "child abduction gang" which is stealing newborns, toddlers and children while wearing a "black scarf" on their faces. The areas worst affected by the rumours are Sonari, Biswanath, Titabor and Nagaon.
The killing in Assam comes days after a man, woman and a transgender were killed in southern India on child kidnapping rumours. The first such crime was reported on May 9, when a man was beaten and hanged up in Tamil Nadu on allegation of attempting to abduct a child. On a similar charge, a 63-year-old woman was lynched to death in Vellore on the same day. The latest fatality was reported on May 27, when a transgender was beaten to death in Hyderabad on fake WhatsApp rumour of child abduction.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 09, 2018 03:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).