Bangalore, Aug 2 (IANS) Nine people, suspected to be thieves, were killed Tuesday by enraged mobs in two adjacent villages of Karnataka’s Chickballapur district, police said.
‘Six people were killed at Yerrakote village and three persons at Barahanahalli village in Chintamani taluk of the district when mobs attacked them with lethal weapons after they entered the area in separate vehicles, suspecting them of being thieves and cheats,’ Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Roop Kumar Dutta told IANS.
Three more victims, who were seriously injured in the attacks, have been admitted to state-run hospital at Chintamani.
Though the victims were yet to be identified, an identity card found on one of them indicated they hailed from Ananthapur district in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
‘We have registered two cases of rioting, murder and arson under various sections of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) in both the villages and are investigating the cause of the mob attacks on the victims,’ Dutta said.
According to preliminary investigation, the victims were suspected to be part of a gang who were frequenting the twin villages with the promise of polishing gold ornaments and jewellery, worn especially by womenfolk, but were vanishing after delivering fake and imitation jewellery in return.
‘When the victims entered the villages in four-wheelers, the mobs suspected them to part of the same gang that cheated their womenfolk by exchanging their genuine gold ornaments and jewellery with fake or imitation gold. They pounced on them to teach a lesson but resulted in fatal attacks,’ Dutta said.
The district police rushed three armed platoons to both the villages to control the situation and restore order though no arrests were made till late Tuesday.
