Transgender beaten to death by mob in Hyderabad after fake messages go viral

On Saturday night, when they were seen moving in the locality, some miscreants raised an alarm that the transgender has come to kidnap children.
The place of where the three transgenders have been beaten to death at Hafeez Baba Nagar under Chandrayangutta limits, after the public misunderstood that they are kidnappers who are on the prowl.  (EPS | Sathya Keerthi)
The place of where the three transgenders have been beaten to death at Hafeez Baba Nagar under Chandrayangutta limits, after the public misunderstood that they are kidnappers who are on the prowl. (EPS | Sathya Keerthi)

HYDERABAD: Adding to a host of recent lynching incidents in State, reportedly following viral rumors of certain notorious kidnapping and burglary gang on prowl, a transgender person was beaten to death by locals at Chandrayangutta in Hyderabad Saturday night. In the incident, another transgender person and a man who came to their rescue sustained injuries. 

According to police, two transgenders and the man have been seen in the locality only recently. They had come from Mahabubnagar to seek alms from locals during the holy month of Ramzan, police said. The incident took place at around 12.10 am near Naseeb Nagar. 

On Saturday night, when they were seen moving in the locality, some miscreants raised an alarm that the transgender has come to kidnap children. This led to heated arguments between the trio and the locals and subsequently led to a physical fight. More locals gathered in the meantime and beat them up. One of them died on the spot. 

Police, who received information, visited the place. When the police tried to control the mob, the locals lobbed stones at police. In the incident, a policeman is also injured. 

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, South Zone, V Satyanarayana along with forces came to the place and dispersed the mob. Injured persons are shifted to hospital and body is shifted to a mortuary for examining postmortem. Police registered a case of murder, attempt to murder and assault on-duty officer. 

A couple of days ago, believing viral fake messages online, one Balakrishna, an auto driver, was lynched by locals in Bibinagar. 

Anjani Kumar IPS, Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad city addressing the
press on the issue. (EPS | Sathya Keerthi)

On Saturday, Pahadishareef police arrested eight persons including six women who were spreading a video containing people murdering someone, by adding a voice note that the incident has happened in the city outskirts.

The viral clip shared widely on whatsapp asked the public to stay alert as gangs from Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu were on the prowl. A Pahadishareef resident had alerted police on Friday night. 

The police nabbed one Ashfaq and then Raheem who has sent him the video and then six women, for spreading the video. 

Pahadishareef inspector P Laxmikanth Reddy said "We were able to catch eight people including six women for spreading the false video that created panic among the public. We are now finding the person who added an audio note to the video that the incident of lynching happened in Pahadishareef."

The inspector said that the eight persons have been booked under relevant sections of IT Act and have been remanded to the judicial custody.

In another incident on Saturday, a mentally unsound person was caught and assaulted by the locals at Kacheguda in Hyderabad when he was seen making weird signs towards a boy on the road, who was accompanied by his father. The man was found to be carrying a bag containing hand gloves, some tablets and other garbage. He was suspected to be one of the inter-state gang members about whom the messages are on viral on social media, and was handed over to the Kacheguda police.

Kacheguda inspector K Satyanarayana said "The man is actually mentally unsound. The locals after receiving the messages on social media have got panicked on seeing him and handed over to the police station. He is currently in the police custody and will be admitted to a home on Sunday."

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