On Saturday, a 52-year-old transgender woman was lynched by an angry mob in Hyderabad, driven by rumours passed around as forwarded messages on WhatsApp.
The victim, identified as Chandraiah, was travelling from Mahabubnagar district in Telangana with three others, seeking alms in Hyderabad’s Chandrayangutta area. Reportedly, they were stopped and questioned by a mob, who later started pelting stones at them. All four sustained injuries during the incident, while Chandraiah succumbed to hers at Osmania General Hospital.
According to The News Minute, a video of the incident shows policemen trying to deflect the mob, albeit to no avail.
“Chandraiah, a native of Mahabubnagar district, who was among the injured people, died undergoing treatment in the early hours of today. Based on video footage of the incident around 35 persons have been taken into custody,” Chandrayangutta police inspector Y Prakash Reddy told PTI.
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Speaking to ANI, Hyderabad Commissioner of Police Anjani Kumar said that fifteen people have been arrested so far in connection with the crime. A case of murder has been registered.
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The incident adds to a string of cases wherein individuals were beaten to death as fake videos indicating kidnapper gangs thriving in the city go viral on social media. The rumours of these child abduction gangs, called the ‘Pardhi gang’, have reportedly already spread across the state of Telangana and the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
On May 22, a 42-year-old man was beaten to death by villagers in a mango farm after he was accused of being a stealing in Chengal village. The same day, an autorickshaw driver was lynched by the people of Jiyapally village under Bibinagar police station limits. On May 24, a 27-year-old mentally challenged man was thrashed on the suspicion of being a thief at Badangpet, leading to the arrest of a Councillor and two others.
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Amid these growing incidents of violence based on rumours circulated on social media, the Hyderabad Police issued a caveat on Sunday, warning the public against the rumours:
— hyderabadpolice (@hydcitypolice) May 27, 2018
Telangana DGP M Mahender Reddy has maintained that strict action would be taken against anyone who is found spreading such false news on social media.
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