Hyderabad: Rumours of gangs kidnapping children claimed yet another life in the city late on Saturday night when a transgender named Chandraiah and three others were attacked by an angry mob.
“As it is Ramzan, and establishments are open round the clock, the group came in the night. They boarded a train from Umdanagar railway station and got down at Falaknuma railway station and went around seeking alms,” said a police officer.
Around 11.30 pm they were attacked by a mob comprising about 100 persons. Inspector N. Shanker of the Kanchanbagh police and his team were also pushed and heckled by the mob that damaged two police vehicles. The police managed to get the injured to Osmania General Hospital where Chandraiah died while undergoing treatment at about 3 am. The condition of Swami is critical. Two others were treated as outpatients.
Rumours that a gang of child kidnappers was in the Chandrayangutta police station got another group of people attempting to gatecrash the premises. The police stopped them from entering the station building, but they pelted stones at two shops and injured two policemen.
A similar scenario was witnessed in the communally sensitive area of Madannapet around 1.30 am, when locals chased and caught four persons suspecting them to be child lifters. The police rescued them and shifted them to the police station.
A 1,000 strong mob assembled at the place and tried to barge in, forcing the police to use mild force to disperse them. Senior police officials rushed to the spot and monitored the situation. At Omer Hotel in Hafeezbabanagar, another group of persons assaulted two beggars who were moving on the main road. As the crowd was reluctant to disperse, the police resorted to a lathi charge.
As the situation seemed to be spilling out of control, DCP (south) V. Satyanarayana called in additional forces and deployed them in sensitive areas. “We are analysing videos recorded using mobile phones and CCTVs,” the DCP said.
The police registered cases under Section 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 147 (rioting) of IPC.
