Madhya Pradesh: Woman lynched on suspicion of being child-lifter, 12 arrested
Crime scene
The woman, who appeared to be 'mentally unstable', was killed by a mob in Bhosh village under Morwa police station on July 19
A woman was allegedly lynched by a mob in Madhya Pradesh on suspicion that she was a child-lifter, police said on Monday.
The woman, who appeared to be "mentally unstable", was killed by the mob in Bhosh village under the Morwa police station on July 19, Morwa Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) K S Dwivedi told, according to news agency PTI.
Believed to be aged between 25 to 30 years, the woman is yet to be identified, he said.
The lynching took place amid rumours on WhatsApp that child-lifters were on the prowl in rural areas of the district, the officer said.
The rumours were circulating for the last one month, Dwivedi said.
Twelve people were arrested yesterday in connection with the lynching incident and produced today in a local court, which sent them to jail, Dwivedi said.
The SDOP said some people spotted the woman roaming in the village at around 9.30 pm on July 19.
They stopped her, suspecting her to be a child-lifter and hit her with lathis and axes, Dwivedi said.
After killing the woman, the mob dumped her body in a drain in a forested area of Bhosh, some 90km from the district headquarters, he said.
Some villagers spotted the body on July 20 and informed the police, he added.
The police arrested 12 people and booked them for rioting and murder, among other charges under the IPC, the SDOP said.
He said efforts are on to identify the deceased.