Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, May 24: The trend of mobs attacking the people they believe to be involved with theft of children and killing them has often been witnessed elsewhere in the country. This mass hysteria seems to have set its foot into Karnataka, going by the killing of a Rajasthan-based youth on the afternoon of Wednesday May 23, causing his death in the bargain.

The members of general public came together to indiscriminately hit Kalooram (26) from Rajasthan near Ranganatha Talkies in Pension Mohalla, Cottonpet here on Wednesday afternoon.

It is said that locals saw that Kalooram was loitering in Pension Mohalla at around 1 pm on Wednesday under suspicious circumstances. People got doubtful about his intentions, caught hold of him, and posed him questions. A few in the crowd chatted among themselves, expressing the possibility of Kalooram being a child thief. As the matter spread, hundreds of people came together. In the guise of questioning the youth, people hit him with whatever they could lay their hands on, like bat, wooden stick and bare hands. When he fell down, he was kicked around, it is said.

A man who witnessed the incident, called the police control room. When the 'Hoysala' vehicle of the police reached the spot, the attackers dispersed, it is gathered. The policemen took Kalooram, who was still breathing, to Victoria Hospital but he breathed his last on the way. The police said that the identity of the deceased was established on the basis of voter identity card found in the shirt pocket of the man.

A case of murder against unknown persons was registered in Chamarajpet police station here relating to the incident.