Google Engineer Lynched Over Child-Lifting Rumours in Bidar
BIDAR : A 32-year-old software engineer was beaten to death and three others - one of them a Qatar national -- were seriously injured over WhatsApp-driven rumours of child kidnapping in Karnataka's Bidar. The police said the mob frenzy started after the man from Qatar was seen distributing chocolates to local children. The police have arrested 32 people.
The techie, Mohammad Azam, had gone for a drive on Friday with three others when they were stopped at the roadside. Mr Azam's friend Mohammad Salam, who was from Qatar, was seen handing chocolates to children.
Rumours of child lifting were doing the rounds in the area and seeing the chocolates being handed out, residents of a nearby village, Murki, sent messages on a WhatsApp group.
Soon, a large crowd gathered and started an argument and taking videos. Panicking, the men got into their car and drove away. Some of the villagers chased them on motorcycles, said the police. Some way off, the speeding car hit one of the motorcycles and fell into a culvert.
As the crowd caught up, the men were dragged out of the car and brutally beaten up, said eye witnesses. Hundreds of villagers gathered but none came to their rescue. By the time the police arrived, Mohammad Azam had died. The others were taken to the hospital in Hyderabad.
"They had gone out for a drive. My brother gave chocolates to children. We don't know what their parents thought but several villagers gathered and beat them. How can they think they were kidnappers?" said Mohammad Azam's brother Akram. Appealing to the government to stop mob killings, Akram said, "My brother was a software engineer, father of a 2-year-old. He was just a regular guy".
The other three - cousins and friends of Mr Azam -- were badly injured. One of them is fighting for his life at a local hospital.
Among the 32 arrested for the killing, one is the administrator of the WhatsApp group. There were also women among those arrested, sources said.
courtesy : ndtv.com
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Lokayukta searches govt officials in Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Lokayukta officials on Tuesday conducted searches on properties belonging to government officials in various parts of the state, on the suspicion that they have possessed assets disproportionate to their income, official sources said.
The searches and verification of documents are on against at least four officials from Shivamogga, Mandya, Dharwad and Vijayanagara districts, the sources added.
Those being searched include a Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation official in Shivamogga and a health department official in Vijayanagara district.
