MANGALURU: The paranoia about child-lifters reared its ugly head yet again as a mob thrashed a 53-year-old man in Kinnikambla, Dakshina Kannada district. His fault: He was carrying chocolates and when children flocked to see his new two-wheeler, he offered them some. Police reached just in time to save Hamza and arrested six people. Hamza is recuperating in hospital and is said to be stable.It was Sunday evening when Hamza and his friend Tausif went to Muslim-dominated areas to collect funds for a mass wedding. “I was carrying around five chocolates and had eaten one of them. I had bought a new two-wheeler which didn’t have a number plate,” said Hamza. Children playing nearby were drawn to the new vehicle and gathered around it. I offered them chocolates as they came near me. A stranger saw me offering chocolates to the children and accused me of being a child lifter . He alerted others as well. A group of around 30 people came running, tied me to a pole and thrashed me. My friend who accompanied me managed to escape.”Hamza didn’t think he stood much of a chance. “I pleaded with them that I am innocent and not a child-lifter. However, they were not ready to listen to me and continued to beat me,” he added. A video of the assault has gone viral.Bajpe police arrested six people for assault — Sheikh Rizwan, 35; Mohammed Imtiyaz,42; Azmal Khan, 43; Mohammed Imran, 42; Mohammed Irfan, 38 and Sha Nawaz Dharmasthala, 19.

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