Teenager beaten, tonsured and paraded for 'stealing' Rs 30

At least five persons were arrested for allegedly assaulting, tonsuring and parading a 14-year-old boy in public after accusing him of stealing Rs 30 in the district, police said today.

Minajali Khan (50), Satya Ranjan Sahu (23), Shaik Rayazuddin (24), Chand Babu (22) and Ashok Kumar Sahu (21) were arrested last night after a tip off from the local people, they said.

Ganesh Giun of Subhadrapur was collecting wreckage near the Minaji Hume pipe factory at Sunguda on Sunday when some workers of the plant dragged him into the factory premises accusing him of stealing Rs 30 from the pocket of a worker of the factory.

"On Sunday morning I was collecting wreckage when some people from the factory came to me and forcibly dragged me to the factory premises. They then tied me to a tree. Some people from the neighbourhood also joined them. They all beat me black and blue," the minor boy told the police.

The miscreants also hired a barber and tonsured his head, police said, adding they called his parents and paraded the boy around the village.

"I swear that I had not stolen any thing from any one from any where. I had not even gone to the factory premises," the victim said.

"Barachana police station has registered a case in this connection. A police team led by the local police raided houses of the accused persons and nabbed them. The boy was tonsured and black and white colours was painted around his body," SP (Jajpur) Deepak Kumar said.

"More than twelve persons are said to be involved in the crime. But we managed to nab only five as the rest have absconded from the village," the SP said.

The accused persons were remanded to judicial custody after their bail applications were rejected by the local court.