In what could be termed as shocking and height of superstition a father suspecting theft of his son’s mobile by his friends forced five boys to dip their hands in a kettle of boiling water to prove their innocence.
In the shocking incident five boys were allegedly forced by man to take an ‘innocence test’ by dipping their hands in a kettle of boiling oil to prove that they had not stolen his son's mobile phone.
Following the incident in Narsinghpada village here on Monday evening, three of the boys were admitted with severe injuries to their hands in a government hospital at Raoti while rest two sustained minor injuries, police said on Tuesday.
The boys, all in the age group between 8 to 15 years, were forced to take the ‘test’ by Chhagan lal Varia who suspected that one of them had stolen his 13 year old son's mobile phone handset.
Citing ‘local superstitions,’ the accused asked the boys to undertake the ‘innocence test’ telling them they would not be injured if they are innocent.
Raoti police station in-charge Ram Singh Rathore while talking to the media persons on Tuesday said, “Five teenage boys received injuries after being forced to dip their hands in hot oil to prove their innocence in a case related to a missing mobile phone. We have nabbed the accused.”
After Varia's son lost his mobile phone, he suspected it to be the handiwork of one of the five boys. “last evening, he told the boys they need to prove their innocence by dipping their hands in boiling oil,” Rathore said. “We have arrested the accused after registering a case against him,” he added.