2 men assaulted in Jharkhand over suspicion of being childlifters

Ranchi, Mar 2 (PTI) Two persons were allegedly assaulted in Jharkhand’s Deoghar and Koderma districts on Monday, after rumours spread among locals suspecting them to be childlifters, police said.

In Deoghar district, an unidentified 35-year-old man was reportedly held by a group of people from Sura village under Patharadda outpost while he was taking a boy in an auto, a senior police official said.

Sarath SDPO Ranjit Lakra told PTI that the man has been rescued from the clutches of the locals and taken to a hospital for treatment.

The victim appears to belong to some place outside the area, while the child who was allegedly being taken along with him was from the same village.

A proper inquiry will be conducted and an FIR lodged once the victim’s condition stabilises, as he has not yet disclosed his name or other details, he said.

In Koderma district, a mentally challenged person was allegedly assaulted by a group of people from Moriyawan village under Tilaiya police station area.

Police later rescued the man and sent him to a hospital.

Tilaiya OC Vinay Kumar said, "As soon as we received the information, we reached the spot and rescued the man. The victim is mentally unstable, and so far we have found that he hails from Naresh Nagar." Meanwhile, the Jamtara district administration on Monday flagged-off an ‘awareness chariot’ to curb rumours regarding childlifting.

The chariot was flagged-off by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ravi Anand and SP Rajkumar Mehta during a programme.

“This initiative aims to curb the rumours spreading in the district regarding childlifting, and make residents aware not to take the law into their own hands,” the DC said.

“If they suspect anybody of being a childlifter, they should promptly inform the nearest police station or dial 112 to give information,” the SP added. PTI RPS MNB RBT