Two sisters in Jharkhand tied to tree, thrashed on suspicion of stealing veggies
Prompt intervention by police, however, saved the women, who were surrounded by over 200 villagers, from lynching. An FIR has been lodged against over two dozen persons in this regard, police said.
Two sisters in a village in Jharkhand were tied with a tree, thrashed and their braids were chopped by a mob over allegations of stealing vegetables, police said on Wednesday.
Prompt intervention by police, however, saved the women, who were surrounded by over 200 villagers, from lynching. An FIR has been lodged against over two dozen persons in this regard, police said.
“The incident took place at Soba village in Ranchi’s Burmu block on Monday. However, FIR was lodged on Tuesday based on the statements of the two victims. The accused will be nabbed soon,” Thakurgaon police station in-charge, Navin Kumar said.
He said FIR was lodged against 19 named persons and over a dozen unknown persons under sections-354 (assault), 307 (attempt to murder), 379 (theft), 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 147 (income escaping assessment) of the Indian Panel Code (IPC).
Kumar said the women identified as Salo Devi, 40, and Balo Devi, 35, went to sell vegetables at Ratu vegetable market. A group of people from Soba village picked them up to their village suspecting them to be vegetable thieves.
“When we reached the spot on a tip off, we found the two women tied to a tree and their braids were chopped. They were surrounded by over 200 villagers. The women were also allegedly thrashed by villagers with shoes and slippers,” Kumar said.
He said the police somehow pacified the angry villagers and rescued them safely. “It could have turned into a tragic incident had we not reached the spot in time,” Kumar said.
The sisters were taken to Burmu health centre and later sent to RIMS. “They were discharged from RIMS and were sent to their homes under police protection,” Kumar said.
Narrating the horrendous experience, the sisters, both married, told police, “On Sunday morning, we came to Umedanda weekly market in Budmu block to purchase vegetables. On returning in the evening, our hired auto-rickshaw developed some mechanical issue. so we stayed at one of our relatives’ home at Soba village. On Monday morning, we left for Ratu market.”
“As we were busy selling vegetable in the market, more than a dozen people picked us up from Ratu market and brought to the village. They tied us with a tree and started thrashing calling us vegetable thieves. They also chopped our braids,” the women said in their complaint.
However, a local villager, who requested not to be quoted in fear of police, said, “They were cultivating ginger and coriander leaves on their farm fields, as the two vegetables are getting high price in the market. For last few days, two or three events of vegetable stealing have happened so we thought the women are stealing our vegetables.”