A man was attacked by a mob on Periyar Street in Tamil Nadu's Thiruvallur district on Wednesday over rumours of being a child kidnapper.

A three-year-old child was playing outside her house when the man who was attacked picked up the child.

Suspicious of his motives, locals in the area started yelling at him which is when the man kept the child back on the ground.

The man, who hails from Bihar, saw the angry mob and fled. The locals chased him, tracked him down and beat him up. The police is investigating the matter.

On July 1, five men of a nomadic tribe were lynched by a mob in Maharashtra's Dhule on the suspicion of being child-lifters, sending shock waves through the state.

According to videos which went viral, one of the five victims apparently tried to speak to a six-year-old girl after which they were stoned and beaten up with sticks and chappals.

The incident has forced Maharashtra government to act firmly against elements spreading false messages and rumours on social media.

False messages have led to various such cases where suspicious people were lynched or assaulted by locals after being apprehended.

The situation is such that the victims were not allowed to explain their identity or why they were present at the said spot at that time. Locals without listening to any explanation resort to violence before police can even reach the spot.

Watch: Can WhatsApp stop lynching?