Man beaten to death over suspicion of being child kidnapper

A resident of Patarveli village allegedly took a four-year-old girl near a river to rape her. People of surrounding villages suspected he had kidnapped the child, following which he was allegedly lynched by a mob.

Vadodara (Gujarat):A 32-year-old man was allegedly lynched by a mob on suspicion of kidnapping a minor girl in a village here, police said on Friday.

"Chanduhai Rathodiya, a resident of Patarveli village, on Thursday took the four-year-old girl near a river to rape her after buying a chocolate to lure her," they alleged.

"People of surrounding villages suspected he had kidnapped the child. They chased the accused, forcing him to leave the girl near her home and escape from the spot," the police said.

"However, the mob caught him and thrashed him with sticks," they said.

"On learning about the incident, a team from the Varnama police station rushed to the spot and took Rathodiya to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries," the police confirmed.

Two FIRs (for kidnapping and mob lynching) are registered and further probe is on.

Reportedly, no arrest has been made till now.