Four detained on suspicion of being child lifters

A day after four women were assaulted on suspicion of being child lifters in Dhupguri block of the district, four others were today detained after people of a village in the block handed them over to the police on the same suspicion.

The villagers of Paschim Salbari confined the four, including a woman, in her residence and informed the police, Jalpaiguri superintendent of police Amitabha Maity said here.

They were, however, not beaten up, he said.

The incident occurred a day after four women were assaulted and two of them disrobed by a mob at another village in the same Dhupguri block on suspicion of being child-lifters.

The SP said the four, of whom three were outsiders, were being interrogated in Dhupguri police station.

Police sources said one of the three outsiders came from Assam who had said he and the woman were in love.

However, the villagers found inconsistency in their statements following which they were handed over to the police, the sources said.

On yesterday's assault on four women, the SP said they hailed from New Jalpaiguri area and had committed petty crimes in the past.

Incidents of assault on people following rumours of child lifting has been taking place in the district for sometime.

Last week, a mentally deranged woman was beaten up in the same block on suspicion of being a child-lifter.

The SP said the rumour of child-lifting was spread by people who wished to disturb the law and order in the district.

The police have been asking the people through social media and public address system not to take law into their own hands and contact the police on the helpline if they found anything suspicious.