Mentally ill mistook for child-lifter, thrashed

A mentally disturbed man was tied to a tree and beaten up by residents of Patalamma Layout near Kadugodi in east Bengaluru on Wednesday evening on suspicion that he was a kidnapper.

As the 25-year-old youth from Odisha entered a house in Patalamma Layout around 4.30 pm, residents came out of the house screaming. Passerby and neighbours caught him and tied him to a tree.

Meanwhile, one of the residents told them that he had received a WhatsApp message saying that four child lifters had entered their area and that he suspected him to be one of them. Taking his word, the mob thrashed him and some of them even shot the act, with the video going viral.

The Kadugodi police rushed to the spot after the alert. They took him to the police station and after interrogation, they learnt that he was mentally disturbed and admitted him to a hospital.

The police have registered an FIR against all the those who assaulted the youth and instructions were given to the Kadugodi inspector to initiate action against those who beat up the youth.

Abdul Ahad DCP (Whitefield) said no child lifters were reported in the city. He cautioned people about fake posts on WhatsApp and other social media sites.