BHUBANESWAR: In the wake of spurt in incidents of mob attack on strangers, who are being suspected as child kidnappers, the state
Crime Branch on Tuesday sounded high alert and issued an advisory to district superintendents of police (SPs) to take steps to prevent such crimes.
State director general of police (DGP) R P Sharma, who earlier described presence of child lifters in
Odisha as rumour, said the police stations have been asked to sensitise people to refrain from taking law into their hands. “In the
Crime Branch advisory, we have asked SPs to instruct inspectors-in-charge (IICs) of police stations to strengthen their intelligence gathering mechanism and intensify patrolling,” Sharma told TOI.
The top cop said IICs have also been asked to conduct awareness camps in their areas to dispel the rumour. “We already cleared that no child trafficking or kidnapping gangs operate in the state. Pranksters circulated rumours on social media. Police stations have been asked to remain alert,” Sharma said.
Additional director general of police (Crime Branch) Santosh Upadhyay said IICs have been asked to promptly respond to calls or inputs on suspicious movement of people in their areas. “Any delay in response by police may lead to violence by crowd. Police stations act tough on those, who spread rumours. People, who assault strangers, should also be taken to task,” Upadhyay said.
At least 20 persons have been arrested in last fifteen days at different places on charges of assaulting suspected child-lifters, mostly non-Odia speaking people from neighbouring states.
Though nobody has so far been lynched in the state, at least 20 cases have so far come to the fore in last one month where strangers were assaulted by mob. Police have rescued several persons, who were thrashed by locals in different districts on the suspicion of being child lifters. On Tuesday, Soro police in Balasore district rescued three youths, who were thrashed by locals on suspicion of being child kidnappers.
On May 29, the police issued a public advisory, appealing to the people to refrain from believing in the rumours and attacking people. “We so far have not come across any child kidnapping cases anywhere. Outsiders, who have been earning their livelihood in Odisha, should not be suspected as child kidnappers. People from Odisha too are working in other states,” DGP Sharma said.