A gentleman was beaten up mercilessly by a group of people on a false allegation levelled by a woman that he had stolen her mobile phone during a Krushi Mahotshav held at the Baramunda playground here on Thursday.
The mobile phone was later found in the woman’s handbag.
The woman sitting near the person had suddenly shouted accusing him of stealing her phone while he received a call on his phone. A group of people supporting the woman attacked the man without listening to what he pleaded.
Police intervened in the matter when the situation turned uglier and took the accused and the woman to the police station for interrogation. During the interrogation, the man claimed that the phone he was holding was his. When the woman alleged that he had stolen her phone, the police asked her to check her bag once again. And the woman, who was claiming the accused person’s phone as hers, found her own phone in her bag.
The confusion occurred as the phones of both were of a same model and their ringtone was also similar. When the phone of the accused rang, the woman suspected that he had stolen her phone.
The police released both the person, who was mistakenly beaten up, and the woman, who made complaint against him.