Five people, including three mentally challenged individuals, across the country, have been beaten by the public on suspicion of being child-lifters.
The incidents were reported from the districts of Bogura, Dinajpur and Tangail on Sunday (Jul 21).
Police rescued the victims upon being informed by locals and sent the victims to hospitals and called on people to refrain from taking the law in their own hands.
Bogura
Two people, who public suspected to be kidnappers were lynched in the northern district of Bogura.
An angry mob beat up 42-year-old Afzal Hossain at Santahar on Sunday morning after he was seen roaming around the area, confirmed Santahar police outpost Inspector Anisur Rahman.
Meanwhile, union parishad member Shafiq Uddin said that he was mentally unstable and has been missing from home since the last 10 days.
Another unidentified man was beaten up at Shakharia union’s Tilepara after he spoke a child in the area on Sunday evening.
The child reportedly claimed that the man had gone there to lift him after which public beat the man up.
He was rescued by the union’s acting chairman Abdul Jalil and sent to the hospital. According to Jalil the man seemed to be mentally challenged.
Dinajpur
Locals at Dinajpur’s Chiribandar upazila handed a suspected kidnapper over to the police after beating him up.
A mob beat up 50-year-old Miru Mia after he was seen roaming around in Naniyatikor village with a sack.
Chiribandar police OC Harisul Islam said that Miru Mia is mentally challenged.
Tangail
Locals at Tangail’s Kalihati upazila beat up 32-year-old van driver Meenu on suspicions of being a child lifter.
Kalihati police Sub Inspector Farukul Islam said that police rescued him and took him to the upazila health complex in a critical condition.
He said that Meenu had gone to Soya bazaar to buy fishing nets to catch fished in the flood water.
Another man was trashed by a mob at Tangail’s Kandila Bazar under the sadar upazila on Sunday morning.
Upon being informed, police rescued him and rushed him to Tangail General Hospital.
(Bangla Tribune’s Bogura, Dinajpur and Tangail Correspondents provided inputs for this report)