JALPAIGURI: The four women who were stripped and beaten by a mob at Daukimara in Jalpaiguri's
Dhupguri on Monday on suspicion of being child-lifters, were arrested on Tuesday. According to the cops, they were a gang of thieves, who had gathered there to plan their next operation. A Jalpaiguri court remanded two of them in police custody and two in judicial custody.
The police have also registered a suo motu case against 25 people for beating up and stripping the women on Monday.
"There were discripancies in the statements of these women. Investigation revealed that they were involved in several cases of theft. While three of them are from Dhupguri, one is from
Siliguri," said a senior police officer.
Jalpaiguri superintendent of police Amitava Maity said, "People cannot take the law into their hands. The four will be tried in accordance with law. Those who beat them up and stripped them would also be brought to justice. There is no space for violators of law."
Worried over frequent incidents of mob attacks in the district, the SP said: "police would carry out awareness drives especially in villages to sensitize people."
"Even if a child-lifter is caught red-handed, it is the duty of people to inform police and not to take law in their own hands. We will spread this message across the district. But it is also true that some people are intentionally instigating mobs at the slightest instance. This has to be stopped and it is only possible if people are made aware," Maity said.
Of late, several people across the country have been labelled child-lifters and lynched. Dhupguri witnessed two such incidents this month alone. Although no one was killed, women were targeted in both cases.
Representative image
