Mentally retarded woman in Assam branded child-lifter,tortured

A mentally retarded woman was tied to a pole and tortured by a village mob, suspecting her to be a child-lifter, at Sonitpur in Assam, police said.

The incident took place on Friday night, when the woman was seen roaming around in a village under Thelamara police station in Sonitpur district, Sonitpur Superintendent of Police Prithipal Singh told PTI.

"Some people questioned her. But, she could not reply properly due to her mental condition. This led to suspicion among people that she was a 'sopadharaa' (child-lifter), and they tied her to a pole to torture her," Singh said.

However, locals and personnel from the Village Defence Party (VDP) tried to stop the mob and alerted the police immediately, he said.

"Our team reached instantly and saved the woman. She received only minor injuries and was treated at a hospital," Singh said.

He said that some persons also recorded the incident and shared it on social media.

"We have registered a case and identified three persons for making the video. Also, a few other people have been identified. We will take action and all of them will be arrested," the SP said.

He said police will reward all those who tried to save the woman and informed the local police station immediately, as "such courageous actions should be encouraged to prevent recurrence of such incidents".

In a similar incident on June 8, two friends, who had gone to a picnic spot in Karbi Anglong, were stopped on their way back by a group of villagers and lynched on the suspicion of being child-lifters.