In a shocking incident of mob lynching, an elderly woman was killed and four of her relatives were also injured when a mob of villagers at Athimoor near Polur in Tiruvannamalai district beaten them up mistaking them for child lifters. Two of the injured are currently battling for their lives.

Police have identified the victim as Rukmani, 65, from Old Pallavaram in Chennai. She along with her relatives – Venkatesan, 52, S Mohnakumar, 33, who is from Malaysia, Chandrasekheran, 34, and driver R Gajendran – were on their way to visit their family deity at Muthumariamman temple at Kaliyam village in Tiruvannamalai.

This is the third incident of a person being killed by a mob suspecting either to be a child lifter or thief in Tiruvannamalai and its neighbouring Vellore district in the last two weeks. Police attribute the sudden rise in such mob attacks on individuals to fake news spread through WhatsApp and social media about a gang of robbers and child lifters from North India roaming in the district.

Police said that when they stopped the car to inquire about the route to the temple with an elderly woman who was sitting with her grandchildren, Rukmani gave chocolates brought by his relative from Malaysia to the kids. Suspecting them as a gang of child lifters, the elderly woman raised an alarm after which the villagers gathered around the car and started questioning them.

Taken aback by the turn of events, they sped away in the car but the locals chased them and rained stones at the car. The pilgrims were pulled out of the car and were brutally beaten up. Rukmani succumbed to injuries while others sustained injuries. Police have arrested 43 persons in connection with mob lynching.

Superintendent of Police R Ponni termed the incident as unfortunate and said that murder case would be registered against the accused. “In the last two or three days, we have been continuously getting calls on such attacks and police have intervened at the earliest,” she said, pointing out that people were agitated over the fake news spread through WhatsApp that child lifters have come from North India. “We are creating awareness through all police stations urging the public not to believe any such rumours spread through WhatsApp. We are asking them to dial 100 if they suspect someone,” she said.

The preliminary investigation by the police revealed that the pilgrims were attacked despite them pleading that they were not child lifter but came to visit the temple. “One of the pilgrims had shown his passport and another his driving license but the villagers continued their attack,” a police officer said.

On April 29, a man, aged about 30 years was beaten to death by a group of residents of Parasuramapatti in Gudiyatham Town in Vellore after they mistook him for a robber.

On April 22, a teenager was killed and two of his friends sustained injuries when a group of villagers in Sumangali village in Tiruvannamalai district engaged in night patrolling following rumours of child lifters and thieves on the prowl attacked the trio riding motorcycle with stones. Sadasivan, who was riding the bike sustained injuries and succumbed to it.