Ranchi, February 19 – A wave of panic has gripped Jharkhand as child kidnapping rumors trigger brutal mob attacks on innocent people. Over the past five days, more than 12 such harrowing incidents have unfolded across the state, leaving authorities scrambling to restore calm.
In a shocking episode on Thursday in Ranchi’s Edlhatu area, a frenzied crowd assaulted two women and one man merely on suspicion of child theft. Eyewitnesses described how the trio was traveling in an auto-rickshaw with a crying child when someone shouted that they were kidnappers. Within moments, a mob surrounded the vehicle, dragged them out, and began beating them mercilessly.
Quick intervention by Bariatu police station in-charge Manoj Kumar and his team saved the victims’ lives. The three were rescued and taken to the station for safety. Initial probes have found no evidence of any organized child theft ring, but questioning of all parties continues.
This isn’t an isolated case. Similar rumors, amplified through WhatsApp and social media, have spread like wildfire in districts including Dhanbad, Chatra, Jamshedpur, Jamtara, Giridih, Ramgarh, Latehar, and Bokaro. In Chatra’s Piprawar three days ago, a mob lynched a man they suspected of child theft, only to discover later he was mentally unstable.
On Wednesday in Dhanbad’s Baghmara, two women faced a violent mob attack on the same false pretext; police rescued them just in time. Back on February 16 in Bokaro, six women were thrashed over alleged links to a kidnapping gang before law enforcement stepped in.
Jharkhand Police has issued a stern appeal: Verify suspicious information before acting and report directly to authorities. ‘Vigilantism has no place in a civilized society,’ officials emphasized, urging citizens to avoid taking the law into their own hands. As these incidents mount, the state faces a pressing challenge to combat misinformation and prevent further tragedies.