Berhampur: Police rescued six non-Odia youths, who were severely thrashed by the locals on the suspicion of being members of a child lifting racket, late on Saturday.
According to police, six youths of Tamil Nadu were roaming in Gate Bazar area under Nua Bazar police limits late when they were detained by some locals.
Since the six youths could not answer the queries as they did not know Odia, the irate locals severely thrashed them.
Following information, Nua Bazaar police rushed to the spot and rescued the six youths who were rushed to a nearby hospital.
Police later released the six youths on Sunday morning.
In another incident, people of Kusadhipa village under Khallikote police limits had severely thrashed a thief suspecting him to be a child lifter.
Sources said people of Kusadhipa village found six youths moving suspiciously on the outskirts of their village late on Saturday. When asked about their movement near their village, the youths could not give them satisfactory reply. As the villagers tried to detain them, five youths managed to run away while one hid inside a haystack.
In the morning, the villagers nabbed him. After tying his both hands, they severely beat him up suspecting him to be a child lifter.
However, police rushed to the village and rescued the injured youth who was admitted to a government hospital in Khallikote.
The youth has been identified as Rakesh Swain, a native of Nayagarh district.
It may be mentioned that recently there was a rumour on a social media that some child-lifting gangs are active in south Odisha districts, including Ganjam and the coastal belts of Andhra Pradesh. This has triggered panic among the people in the entire southern districts who have started suspecting non-Odias moving in their areas.
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