Bengaluru police chief warns against rumour mongers

Bengaluru: City police commissioner T. Suneel Kumar rubbished WhatsApp rumours that child kidnappers have entered the city, which led to a spate of mob attacks. He warned that strict action will be taken if they share such messages in the social media platforms.

At a press meet on Friday, Kumar maintained that the fake information was being shared in social media platforms about the child lifting gangs in the city. He requested people not to believe such information and warned that strict action will be taken against those sharing such messages. The police commissioner pointed out that not a single child kidnapping case has been registered at any police station across the city in the past few days. 

He added that a case has been booked against a person for sharing fake information and videos about child kidnappers and the police was strictly monitoring social media platforms.

20 arrests in two incidents
In the Kaluram lynching case Chamarajpet police arrested two more people on Friday, taking the total number of arrests to 16.

The accused have been identified as Appu alias Bharath (28) and Kiran (22), both hailing from  Ananthapur. Bharath was earlier arrested for murder and was working as a driver, while Kiran is a vegetable merchant. 

In Cottonpet assault case, the police have arrested four people for beating up two salesmen.

According to police, there will be more arrests in both the cases as they were identifying the people who were part of the mob.

City hit by more mob attacks

Barely a day after Kaluram was lynched by a mob in Chamarajpet, the city police had to resort to caning to save three people, hailing from Nepal, from being beaten up by a mob under the suspicion that they were child traffickers. 

The incident took place in Pulakeshinagar and the police have rescued the Nepalis, including two women. Within 24 hours two more such incidents took place, taking the total number of such incidents reported in the city to five – at Chamarajpet, Cottonpet, Pulkeshinagar, Vidyaranyapura and Whitefield police stations. In the Pulakeshinagar incident a 28-year-old man, his wife and sister, all hailing from Nepal were beaten up at Patari circle. 

The trio came to the city three days ago in search of work. They were staying in makeshift tents at vacant places. On Thursday at around 8.30 pm, when the trio reached Patari Circle carrying a huge plastic carpet, which they used to make tent, people grew suspicious and started surrounding them. 

They then began assaulting them under the suspicion that they were child lifters. When the police arrived at the spot, more people joined and blocked their way for Nepalis. The police had to resort to canning to rescue the trio. As they were taken into a police jeep, the crowd pelted stones. Pukeshinagar police have registered a FIR against over 100 people. Panic gripped areas under Shivajinagar, Pulkeshinagar and Bharathinagar police station limits till midnight.

Vidyaranyapura

Three women, hailing from Andhra Pradesh and working as daily-wagers, were beaten up under the suspicion of being child lifters. 

The women, aged between 30-35, were walking near Vaderahalli govt school when people caught them and started beating them. 

Later they handed them to police saying they were child lifters. However, the police found that the women were in search of work.

Whitefield
The police rescued three women who were tied up by public on suspicion of being kidnappers.

Cottonpet
In an incident was reported near Ranganatha theatre, two salesmen were assaulted by 10 -12 people, under suspicion of being part of a child trafficking gang. They were handed over to the Cottonpet police. The two sustained injuries and filed a complaint against unidentified people.

Srirampura
A 70-year-old mentally challenged woman was caught and assaulted by the public at Srirampura on Wednesday evening. The old woman was seen talking to a girl on the footpath near government hospital in Srirampura. The passersby mistook her to be a child lifter. They assaulted her and handed her over to the Srirampura police. After investigation the police confirmed  she was innocent.

KG Halli
A 26-year-old beggar was caught and thrashed by the residents of Lingarajapura on Wednesday morning after they mistook him to be a child lifter. 

The K.G. Halli police rescued him from the mob and during interrogation found out that he was innocent. 

They have registered a complaint against the unidentified group of people who assaulted him.

2 held for threatening WhatsApp messages

Mangaluru City Police have arrested two people who had allegedly threatened Muslim women not to eat outside at restaurants during the month of Ramzan.  According to police a threatening message was posted on WhatsApp on May 17. The message warned women not to eat at hotels and threatened to assault if they did. A complaint was filed at Mangaluru City South. Police on Friday arrested Mohammad Sadiq (23) of Kupppepadau and Abdul Sattar (34) of Kadeshivalaya under IPC section 153 (A). The two had allegedly shared the post. Police are enquiring into the case and probing the origin of the message.