AGRA: A 12-year-old boy suspected of stealing money from a roadside tea stall was tied to a pillar, stripped naked and beaten by a group of men on Monday morning under Ramgarh police limits in Firozabad district. A video of the boy crying and struggling to free himself was widely circulated on social media.Taking note of it, police sent the boy for a medical check-up and produced him before the child welfare committee. He suffered injuries on his arm and back, in addition to the trauma of public humiliation. He is undergoing counselling, police said. SP (Firozabad city), Sarvesh Kumar Mishra, said, "On the basis of the complaint filed by the boys father, an FIR was registered against Arif (60), Samiuddin (52), Haseen (25) and Maeem (35) who tortured the child. While three of them have been arrested, one is on the run."The accused were booked under IPC sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 147 (rioting), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) and relevant sections of the Pocso Act. In the complaint, the father, a labourer, stated: "The accused men after stripping my son naked hurt his private parts with a stick. They also threatened to kill him if he didnt confess to stealing money from the tea stall run by Samiuddin. My child was innocent."His mother, who rushed to the spot to save her son, said, "My child kept crying for mercy and pleading his innocence, yet the group of men continued to thrash him. He was tied to a pole and stripped naked. People passed by but no one stopped them. The assaulters fled when police arrived."SHO (Ramgarh), Ravi Tyagi, said, "The incident took place around 5am. The boy was tortured based on a rumour. The tea stall was yet to be opened and he was waiting in front of it and looking around. No money was recovered from him. Well ensure stringent action against the men. Both the victim and accused belong to the same community."

Stay updated with all the Agra Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.