Fear of the mob that gathered in front of their house following rumours of kidnapping and cannibalism in Dwarka’s Kakrola village on Friday have kept the foreign nationals away from their residence. Two other foreign nationals,residing in a house a few streets away, also have also left the house to hide out of the same fear, their landlords said on Sunday.

“There are as many stories as there are mouths,” said Pinky Mishra, sitting outside her house a few doors away,on Sunday. “Around 6 p.m. two boys, supposedly from Haryana, came here claiming that their brother had been kidnapped and kept in that house. Soon a mob gathered and the police were called.”

Investigations, however, proved the allegations to be false. “People who had spread the rumours just wanted to get their names in the media. We have never seen them [the foreign nationals] bother anyone. What is there to be afraid of?” she said. “Those were just rumours,” said Mohan Kumar, who lives on the street.

However, other residents of the area continue to hold a grudge.

“We are going to tell the owner to not rent out the house to such people. They create raucous, come and go in the middle of the night and even scare our children. Two persons jumped on to the roof of the house behind theirs and ran away yesterday, and this was not the first time that this happened,” said Meena Devi, a neighbour. “They should stay in places where people keep to themselves. We have a problem with them living in this locality,” said another neighbour.

The victims, who were picked up by the police to be provided protection and subsequently let go, refused to speak to The Hindu. Their landlords, who did not wish to be named, said: “If the government is not able to ensure their safety, then why do they give them visas?”

Praveen Kumar, who has rented out rooms to two other foreign nationals, said that following the recent incident his tenants were scared of returning to the house, which is in the said locality. “I said I will keep whoever I want in my house. People here keep staring at foreign nationals, making them uncomfortable for no reason,” he said.

Silva Usam, a foreign national, who has been living in the city for the last four years, accused the Indians of being racist. “They think we are slaves and some say it on our faces,” said Usam, who belongs to Nigeria. He said he takes special precautions while walking on the street alone in the night. “If I see a group of young boys, and feel that they might attack, I change the way I walk,” he said. “I pretend I am carrying a machete or something, and they leave me alone” he said.

The association of African students in India, in a statement, has condemned the recent incident.