RANCHI: A man accused of raping a minor girl was allegedly lynched by an enraged mob in Jharkhand's Chatra district on Tuesday. The mob also assaulted his parents, leaving them injured.
The incident took place at Bargaon village under the Tandwa police station limits.
According to police, the minor girl had gone out to relieve herself on Monday evening and went missing. She returned home on Tuesday morning and alleged that her neighbour, Mohammad Imroz, had abducted, confined and raped her.
As news of the alleged assault spread, hundreds of villagers gathered outside Imroz's house. The mob allegedly dragged him onto the road and beat him with sticks, iron rods and stones.
"The mob brutally assaulted the young man with sticks, rods and stones until he was left critically injured," a villager, requesting anonymity, said. The mob also allegedly tied Imroz's father to a pole and assaulted both his parents.
The incident triggered tension in the Tandwa area.
Local residents alleged that the attack took place in the presence of police personnel. However, Tandwa SDPO Prabhat Ranjan denied the claim, saying the mob had already launched the assault before the police reached the spot.
After a difficult rescue operation, police shifted the critically injured Imroz to the Tandwa Community Health Centre. He was later referred to a hospital in Hazaribagh, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Police have launched an investigation and intensified security in the area. Raids are underway to identify and arrest those involved using video footage from the scene.
Tandwa police station officer-in-charge Pappu Kumar Sharma said 11 people have been arrested so far.
"Two FIRs have been registered at Tandwa police station. One was filed by the deceased's father under provisions related to mob lynching, while the other was registered based on the minor girl's complaint under the POCSO Act," Sharma said.
He added that the girl had gone missing on Monday evening and returned on Tuesday morning. In her complaint, she alleged that Mohammad Imroz had abducted her, confined her in his house and raped her.
Police said efforts are underway to arrest the remaining accused identified through video footage.
