Suspected thieves face vigilante action in Goa

Suspected of stealing mobile phones, two youngsters in a Goa village faced brutal vigilante action at the hands of villagers, a media report said.

The two youngsters, one of them a minor, were tied to motorcycles while dressed only in their underwear, dragged some distance and beaten up in the village near the Cabo de Rama beach May 10.

The footage of this incident was telecast on InGoa news channel Friday night.

Police said the duo were booked for theft of mobile phones but denied being aware of the vigilante action against them.

InGoa editor Anil Lad told IANS the video went viral on Whatsapp social networking platform on mobile phones.

"The footage was shot in Cabo de Rama area in south Goa. From the Konkani language spoken in the video, it appears that the two boys are from the nearby village of Sanvordem.

"The duo were tied to a motorcycle, dragged around and beaten up," he said.

The mother of the minor, said her son was paraded in his underwear, punched and beaten with sticks.

"If my son had robbed, they could have taken him to the police. What was the need to hit him," she asked.

South Goa Superintendent of Police Vijay Singh told IANS that the two boys were booked for theft of mobile phones.

"A complaint of theft was recorded. But none of the accused complained about being beaten up," he said.