Ujire: Sporadic incidents of individuals being attacked and some even being beaten to death by people following child kidnapping scare has been hitting headlines. Here in Ujire of Belthangady taluk in Dakshina Kannada district too a father was beaten black and blue by an angry mob that mistook him to be a kidnapper.
It is said that Khalid, an auto driver was at a hotel in an inebriated state and was turning violent towards a toddler that he was holding. When onlookers quizzed him, a drunk Khalid failed to give a convincing answer following which the angry locals bashed him up suspecting that he had abducted the child. Within a few minutes of the incident, several Whatsapp messages were circulated with his photos, claiming that he is a child kidnapper.
The truth was out only when another auto driver cleared the air. Khalid was holding his own child who he fathered with his second wife. Though he was not in a position to explain why he was trying to strangle the kid, timely intervention by another auto driver saved Khalid from the locals and also the kid.
The police came to the spot and took Khalid away for his safety.
