With incidents of migrant labourers being attacked and lynched suspecting them to be child kidnappers, Chennai Police on Monday warned strict action against those who take law into their own hands.
The fresh warning came in the wake of an attack on two migrant labourers in Teynampet in Chennai on Sunday.
The duo were beaten after the locals suspected them to be child lifters.
The victims are now admitted to a hospital where they are recuperating.
A man, identified as Murugan, has been arrested while the police is on look out for others, Deputy Commissioner of Police (T Nagar) P Aravindan said.
Sunday's incident was the latest in Tamil Nadu where labourers and others are lynched based on WhatsApp rumours that child lifters were in their city or area.
"The two labourers saw a child, whom they knew, dropping money by mistake and they handed it over. They were also talking to the child when the arrested person Murugan became suspicious and raised an alarm, calling them child-lifters. The wrong information spread and the locals started attacking them," Aravindan said.
He also appealed to the public not to circulate messages on social media platforms without proper verification. At least five people were lynched in Tamil Nadu since April this year based on WhatsApp rumours.
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