Ranpur: A man had to face the wrath of locals on the suspicion that he was a thief after he was caught roaming around suspiciously late Friday night near Kankia village under this police limits in Nayagarh district Friday night.
Villagers caught hold of him and thrashed him black and blue after tying him to a pole. He was then handed over to police Saturday morning.
The victim was has been identified as Dasrathi Behera (47) of Pimfal village. Reports of repeated loots, and child thefts have triggered panic in villages. Armed criminals roam in the area who stray into villages and commit loots. On the other hand, vehicles on highways also are prone to looters who intercept the vehicles and extort from passengers and drivers.
Keeping in mind, the rising number of crimes, youths have formed groups to guard the village during nights. As usual, a few youths at Kankia were guarding the village Friday night.
Meanwhile, they spotted Behera roaming around suspiciously near the village and intercepted him. The youths overpowered him and seized a cycle chain and a sharp-edged weapon from his possession.
Suspecting him to be a robber, the youths tied him to a pole and thrashed him black and blue. He was kept tied in the village street through the night before being handed over to family members Saturday morning.
Behera sustained serious injuries following the assault and had to be admitted to a hospital, sources said. Meanwhile, Behera denied of being a thief.
PNN