SAMBALPUR: Police on Tuesday arrested five persons for allegedly assaulting a migrant worker from Kerala after mistaking him for a child-lifter at Dhobapada in Khetrajpur area here on June 21.
The accused are Shiba Ganda (22), Prithivi Nag (28), Sushanta Suna (38), Sachindra Pande (33) and Saroj Meher (36).
Police said Vishnu Kais (31), a migrant worker from Kerala, was mistaken for a child-lifter while moving in Dhobapada area. A group of locals allegedly chased, assaulted and dragged him on the road while also hurling abuses and issuing threats.
The emergency response vehicle (ERV) team of Khetrajpur police rescued the migrant worker and prevented the situation from escalating into a possible mob-lynching, police said.
A case was registered in Khetrajpur police station under sections 126(2), 296, 115(2), 133, 351(3), 109(1) and 3(5) of the BNS. During investigation, police established the involvement of the five accused and arrested them. They were produced in court.
Sambalpur police reiterated that mob violence and vigilantism would not be tolerated and warned of strict action against those who take the law into their own hands.