Gumla, Mar 10: A 50–55 year old mentally unstable woman was allegedly beaten to death by a mob over rumours of child lifting in a village in Gumla district, police said on Tuesday.
The incident occurred on Sunday night in Guriatarn (Lagaba) village under Bishunpur police station limits, about 65 km from the district headquarters.
According to police, villagers suspected the woman of being a child lifter after spotting her roaming in the area at night. A group of people from nearby villages allegedly chased her, tied her to a tree and assaulted her with sticks and stones.
Officer-in-charge of Bishunpur police station Arjun Kumar Yadav said police received information about the incident late at night.
“We got information around 11:30 pm and reached the spot soon. Guriatarn has only four households and residents from nearby villages had assembled there after hearing child-lifting rumours,” Yadav said.
Police rescued the critically injured woman and rushed her to the Community Health Centre in Bishunpur, where she succumbed to her injuries shortly after admission.
“The police team rescued the critically injured woman and admitted her to Bishunpur CHC, where she died within half an hour,” the officer added.
Police have arrested four persons in connection with the mob lynching — Tetra Oraon, Besai Oraon, Shivlal Oraon and Etwa Oraon.
A case has also been registered against 15–20 unidentified persons under Section 103(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
“We registered a case under Section 103(2) of BNS against 15-20 unknown people,” Yadav said.
Police said a post-mortem examination has been conducted and efforts are underway to establish the identity of the deceased woman.
Officials noted that the incident comes weeks after a similar rumour-related incident in Banari village, where a man suspected of being a child lifter was rescued by villagers.
The district administration has appealed to residents not to believe rumours and urged them to inform the police or the district control room in case of any suspicion.
