A traveller, being suspected as a child lifter, was brutally beaten by some locals at the Junagarh bus-stand in Kalahandi district on Tuesday.
According to an eyewitness, the man was allegedly caught while trying to give chocolates to a minor boy at the bus stand. Being informed, the Junagarh police rescued the man and sent him to the Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VSSIMR), Burla for treatment.
The locals told him that giving a bite of chocolate to a boy is sin and started beating him. The man requested the irate mob to forgive him while saying that he was the only bread earner of his family, originally of the Brahmapur area, currently residing at Mukhiguda in Kalahandi district. His name was Pintu Sabat(35). Notably, one Santosh Kumar (32), an insane, had been stripped and beaten to death in Bhawanipatna on similar ground.
“Police have collected video footage of the spot where Pintu was beaten. Some photos of Bhawanipatna incident have also been found. We are trying our best to arrest the culprits in both the incident,” said Kalahandi SP Brijesh Kumar Rai.