Child Kidnapping Rumours Fuel Panic in Jharkhand; 12 Mob Violence Cases in Five Days

Ranchi — A wave of rumours about child abductions has spread fear across Jharkhand, resulting in at least 12 incidents of mob violence over the past five days. Police have issued urgent appeals urging citizens to remain calm and avoid acting on unverified claims.

On Thursday morning, three individuals — two women and a man — were attacked by a mob in the Edalhatu locality of Ranchi after being suspected of attempting child theft. The trio was travelling in an auto-rickshaw with a child when bystanders noticed the child crying and someone raised an alarm alleging kidnapping.

As the rumour circulated quickly, residents intercepted the vehicle, forcibly removed the occupants, and assaulted them without verifying the facts.

Police personnel from Bariatu Police Station, led by officer-in-charge Manoj Kumar, arrived promptly and rescued the victims, preventing a potentially fatal escalation. The three were taken to the police station for questioning.

Preliminary investigations have found no evidence of any organised child-lifting gang. Authorities stated that it remains unclear whether any actual abduction attempt occurred, and the matter is under investigation.

Similar incidents have been reported from multiple districts, including Dhanbad, Chatra, Jamshedpur, Jamtara, Giridih, Ramgarh, Latehar and Bokaro.

Three days earlier, a man was beaten to death in the Piparwar area of Chatra district after being suspected of child kidnapping. Later inquiries revealed that he was mentally unstable and had no involvement in any such crime.

On Wednesday, two women were assaulted in Dhanbad’s Baghmara area following similar rumours but were rescued by police in time. Earlier, on February 16, six women in Bokaro were attacked on suspicion of belonging to a child-lifting gang before police intervention ensured their safety.

Jharkhand Police has urged the public not to take the law into their own hands and to refrain from reacting to unverified messages circulating on social media platforms, particularly WhatsApp. Authorities have advised citizens to report suspicious activities to the nearest police station rather than resorting to violence.

With inputs from IANS