Bhopal, Aug 8 (PTI): Ten people have been arrested for allegedly lynching a 27-year-old mentally unstable man on suspicion of being a child lifter at Singhwar village in Madhya Pradesh’s Dindori district, the police said on Tuesday. This is the second case of lynching reported from the state within a month.

The body of Mukesh Gond was found floating in a farm well on August 1, the police said. They added, Gond was killed lynched by a dozen-strong mob on July 28 after he was found roaming near a school building. The accused later tied stones to his body and dumped it in the well.

Sub-divisional police officer B S Dhurve told The Indian Express that the 10 accused were produced before a local court that sent them to judicial custody on Monday. He said the had accused claimed to have attacked Mukesh after he told them that he was from neighbouring Anuppur district and was there to take away children.

The police are investigating all other possible angles to the crime, but said more arrests in the case were unlikely.

Dhurve confirmed that the victim was a resident of Anuppur district and had lost his mental balance four years ago. The victim was “missing” after he had left his home on July 26, the police officer said. It was not immediately clear if his relatives had lodged a missing complaint.

The incident comes within a month after a mentally-ill woman was allegedly lynched in Singrauli district on suspicion of child theft on July 21. At least 12 people were arrested in the case.