Holenarasipur, January 6: A six-member police team, who had come all the way from Ranebennur in Haveri district, to Hoelnarasipur in?Hassan district, to nab an accused, became victims of a mob, when they were mistaken for child lifters on Wednesday night.
Recently, a driver from Ranebennur who was assigned to transport of sugar disappeared after selling both the truck and the sugar load.
On a tip-off, a team of six police personnel in mufti arrived in Holenarasipur to arrest the accused driver. However, they did not inform the local police and were on the lookout for the accused since three days.
On Wednesday night, the team went to Chowdenahalli, after they were tipped that the accused was hiding here. The local residents, who saw these ‘strangers’ suspected them to be child lifters and forced them into a room and assaulted them.
Even after showing them their police identity, the residents thought that they were fake identities and snatched them away. By the time the town police reached the village, hundreds of residents had gathered and they picked up an argument with the local police. The town police had to resort to a mild lathi charge to disperse the crowd. The angry mob pelted stones at the local police. Circle Inspector Gopal Nayak sustained minor injuries.
Nine persons were arrested for pelting stones at the local police and snatching the identity cards of the Ranebennur police. The accused were produced before the court. Some more persons are likely to be arrested in connection with the incident. Two complaints have been registered in Holenarsipur police station in this regard.
This is the second incident of a mob attacking innocent persons accusing them of child lifting in Hassan district. Some months ago two persons, who were suspected to be child lifters by local residents in Arkalgud, were assaulted by them.
The two persons sustained serious injuries. There is not a single incident of child lifting reported in Hassan district so far, Superintendent of Police Amit Singh said.
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