The man was later rescued after a police team arrived with fire brigade personnel (Representational)

In an incident fuelled by the rumors of child lifting, a man had to save himself by climbing on a tree after allegedly being chased by a crowd who suspected him of being a child lifter.

The middle-aged man identified as Rampal was chased by a mob in the Charauli village of Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi. A resident of a nearby village, Rampal earns his livelihood by selling tree leaves and used his skills acquired as part of the job, to save himself from the crowd.

He was later rescued after a team of police arrived along with fire brigade personnel and assured him of safety on climbing down from the tree.

According to eyewitnesses, the whole incident lasted for over an hour and the man was safely rescued from the tree.