Bhubaneswar: Five people were arrested Tuesday for allegedly assaulting a migrant worker from Kerala after mistaking him for a thief in Sambalpur district, police said.
The incident took place on June 21 in Dhobapada under Khetrajpur police limits. It came to light after a video of the assault went viral on social media. According to police, local residents chased the worker, beat him, dragged him, and hurled abuses and threats.
A police team reached the spot in time, rescued the victim, and prevented the assault from escalating into a possible lynching.
The arrested have been identified as Shiba Ganda, 22, Prithivi Nag, 28, Sushanta Suna, 38, Sachindra Pande, 33, and Saroj Meher, 36. They have been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
“Sambalpur Police reiterates that mob violence and vigilantism will not be tolerated, and strict legal action will be taken against those taking the law into their own hands,” the district police said in a statement.
