JAMSHEDPUR: A woman was among five persons assaulted by villagers over suspicion of child theft in separate incidents in several districts of Jharkhand, police said.
Two snake charmers from West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district were allegedly held hostage and assaulted by residents of Chandanpur village in Shyamsundarpur police station area in East Singhbhum district on Sunday.
The two snake charmers, aged around 30-35 years, had come to the villages to display snake charm skills on the occasion of Maha Shivratri when they were held hostage by villagers, Shyamsundarpur police station officer-in-charge Sunil Kumar Bhokta told PTI on Monday.
"Villagers suspected them of being child lifters and held them hostage. A few people even assaulted them. We received the information and rescued the duo. The individuals showed their Aadhaar cards and were identified as Minanur Mandal and Lahul Mandal," he said.
There has been no incident of child theft in any part of Baharagora block in the recent past. The victims refused to lodge any complaint and were sent back to Baharagora town, the police officer said.
"We advised the victims against visiting the villages as of now, as locals might get agitated on seeing outsiders due to child theft rumours. We will soon hold a meeting with village panchayat representatives to create awareness on the matter," Bhokta added.
In another incident, a middle-aged person selling honey in a village in Dumuria police station area in Ghatshila sub-division of the same district was also held hostage by locals on Sunday.
"We reached the spot on time and found the villagers holding a man with long hair hostage on suspicion of being a child lifter. The victim said he was a honey seller. We advised the victim against visiting the villages. He refused to lodge any police complaint," Dumuria police station officer-in-charge Pancham Tigga said.
In another incident, residents of Chiraiyatand and Kichto villages in Piparwar police station area in Chatra district beat up a person on child theft suspicion on Sunday night.
Piparwar police station officer-in-charge Abhay Kumar told PTI that police rescued the person and took him to Bachra Regional Hospital, from where he was shifted to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi for better treatment.
"The victim is in a critical condition. We will question him once he recovers. We are investigating the case," Kumar said.
In the fourth incident, a mentally challenged woman was assaulted by some people in Pindrajora police station in Bokaro district on suspicion of being a child lifter.
Pindrajora police station officer-in-charge Abhishek Ranjan told PTI that the woman was rescued by the police.
"We handed her over to a non-governmental organisation for care. She had been held hostage by villagers on child theft suspicion. No arrest has been made in this connection," the police officer added.