Vijayapura: Crowd attacks four persons on suspicions of being 'child kidnappers'

Vijayapura: Acting on a rumor of child kidnappers being spotted in the city, a crowd assulted four persons, including two women. The incident occurred at the Gangbavdi on Saturday.

It is said that the locals suspected the 4 persons, two men and two women who were conversing in the North Indian style of Hindi to be child kidnappers. The 4 were caught and beaten by the crowd.

As rumors about child stealers being caught spread, thousands of city residents rushed to Gangbavdi. Gandhi Chowk police rushed to the spot and took the four into custody for investigation. As the crowd swelled, police were seen struggling to disperse and control the situation.

In the preliminary investigation, the four persons have told police that they were from Delhi and were residing in a rented house for the past month. They were selling plastic ornamental flowers to make ends meet, sources said.

Meanwhile, police are verifying the details given by them. The owners of the rented accommodation and neighbors are being contacted, sources added.