Child kidnapper rumours trigger mob violence across MP:Women, devotees and rag pickers beaten; fake videos and posts spread panic

I was going to the medical store to get medicine. There, an uncle started abusing me, thinking I was a child kidnapper. An aunt caught me and started hitting me. Then on the way, other boys also hit me, they kept hitting me the whole way. Saying this, the young woman, a victim of mob lynching, breaks down crying and even talks about suicide. This is the pain of a young researcher who had gone to a medical store to buy medicine in the LIG police station area of Indore. Her video was also made viral. In Indore itself, on February 7, another mentally unwell woman was beaten by a crowd, mistaking her for a child kidnapper. Such cases have come to light in Bhopal, Indore, Mandsaur, Dhar, Ratlam, and Barwani districts. Rumors of a ‘child kidnapper gang’ and related video posts are also going viral on social media. To find out the truth behind these incidents, Dainik Bhaskar investigated all these cases, leading to shocking revelations
Cases of assault and reality in child theft Indore: Victim of child thief rumor expresses pain A young woman from Indore, who was a victim of mob lynching due to a child theft rumor, shared her pain by making a video. She said, “I was going to the medical store to buy medicine on February 18. I met an uncle on the way. He asked me where I was going? I said I was going to the medical store.” They asked me, “Are you a child kidnapper?” I said no. I live nearby, but they were not ready to believe me. They abused me. I said that I have my ID on my phone, you can see it, but they didn’t agree and called other boys. As I started to leave, a woman and a girl caught me. Then they started beating me badly. Boys also hit me on the way. I was taken the entire way, being beaten, hit, and abused. My video was made and is being viralized. If something wrong happens to me or if I take any wrong step due to shock, then the people who assaulted me and made the video viral will be responsible for it. I don’t want what happened to me to happen to any other girl. Woman taking child with her is mentally ill In Indore’s Dwarkapuri area, a woman was seen taking an 11-year-old child with her. CCTV footage went viral and rumors spread. Later, investigation revealed that the woman lives in a nearby lane and is mentally unwell. The viral video on social media reached her family members living in Meerut, UP, after which her family took her with them to Meerut on February 19. Indore police took action and blocked the IDs of four influencers, and notices are being issued to those who shared the video. Mandsaur: The one beaten as a child thief turned out to be a scrap dealer In the Narsinghpur area of Mandsaur city, on the evening of February 22, a young man was caught by a mob, mistaking him for a child thief. When the young man was seen wandering around the area, some people became suspicious. In no time, hundreds of people gathered. The young man was caught without any confirmation. People tied his hands and feet, threw him to the ground, and severely beat him with kicks and punches. A video of the incident was also made. The Reality: Kotwali police, who arrived at the scene, rescued the young man and brought him to the police station. During interrogation, he was unable to properly explain anything. Locals said that he is mentally weak and had been seen wandering in the area before. No complaint of child theft was received. Later, after the video surfaced, the police took three accused, Deepak Kumawat, Kundan Chanal, and Bharat Chanal, into custody and registered an FIR. Ratlam: Car stopped and occupants beaten, turned out to be devotees returning from temple On February 22, six people were traveling by car from the Bilpank area of Ratlam district to Indore. They stopped at a roadside dhaba for a toilet break. Seeing some children nearby, villagers became suspicious and a rumor spread that a child-kidnapping gang was roaming around. Soon, a crowd gathered.
Many people, including women, surrounded the car occupants and started assaulting them. Two people somehow managed to escape from the crowd. Four were caught and beaten by the crowd.
The Reality: As soon as the police were informed about the incident, they reached the spot and took everyone to the police outpost. During interrogation, it was revealed that the victims were residents of the Ghatabillod area of Indore and were returning after visiting the Sanwaliya Seth temple in Rajasthan. Shajapur: Two youths beaten, turned out to be rag pickers In the Jyoti Nagar area of Shajapur district, around 11 AM on February 23, two youths were beaten after being mistaken for child kidnappers. Amidst the continuously spreading rumors of child kidnapping in the area, local residents questioned them and asked for their Aadhaar cards.
As they did not have Aadhaar cards, the crowd considered them suspicious and started assaulting them. A video of the incident was also made. The Reality: Upon receiving information, Lalghati police reached the spot and took a young man into custody to the police station. According to Station In-charge Arjun Singh Mujalde, when the young man was interrogated, it was revealed that the young man, Chhamma Jatav, lives with his wife and children in the Haat Maidan area.
Both work as rag pickers. He stated that he has two children of his own and he had come to Jyoti Nagar to ask for food for his family, when people beat him on suspicion of child theft.
Barwani: Father who came to meet his son beaten after being mistaken for a child thief In Kalakhet village of Bandhan area, near Barwani district headquarters, people saw a young man roaming in women’s clothes and mistook him for a child kidnapper. Soon, a crowd gathered at the spot.
People caught him, and attempts were also made to assault him. Some people, calling him a child kidnapper, informed the police and made a video of him, which they then made viral on social media.
The Reality: When the police arrived and interrogated him strictly, a different story emerged. During interrogation, the victim stated that he was having a dispute with his wife, and his wife was living separately with the children. She does not let him meet the children.
Therefore, to hide his identity, he wore women’s clothes and reached Kalakhet village to meet the child. The police verified his statement during the investigation, making it clear that the matter was a family dispute. Dhar: Beggars turned into a ‘gang’ A mob lynching incident occurred here on February 13. In Bakhatgarh village, under the Badnawar police station area of Dhar district, five people became victims of mob lynching due to a rumor of child theft. Villagers mistook two women and three men from Rajasthan for child thieves. People caught and assaulted them.
The Reality: Upon receiving information, Dial 112 and local police reached the spot. All five were safely taken to the police station. Investigation revealed that they read palms for donations and earn their livelihood this way.
No evidence of child theft was found against them. Police Station In-charge Amit Kushwaha stated, “It was just a rumor. Child theft has not been confirmed.” Bhopal: Fake video from 2019, beating in 2026 In Bhopal’s Ayodhya Nagar area, an Instagram user posted a video in which a young man was identified as a child kidnapper. The video showed the young man going to his sister’s house when some people caught him, tied him up, and started beating him. Out of fear, he even admitted to being a child kidnapper. The boy was saying that he catches children from Bihar and surrounding areas and takes them to Bhopal, where their kidneys are removed at Hamidia Hospital, and he has other people with him. Believing this video’s rumor to be true, on February 24, a young man was beaten by people in Bairasia, Bhopal. The Reality: The viral video incident turned out to be completely fake. Investigation revealed that this video was from 2019 and belonged to Jalaun district of Uttar Pradesh. Police registered a case against the user who uploaded the video in this matter. On the other hand, the youth who was beaten by people in Berasia, mistaking him for a child kidnapper, was found to be mentally ill. No evidence of child kidnapping was found against him.