Mob beat up youth for 'kidnap bid'

KOLKATA: Locals in Ultadanga beat up a 25-year-old youth on Sunday for trying to "abduct" a 12-year-old boy. The cops later detained the youth. However, infuriated locals not happy with it, staged road blockade demanding the cops handed him over to them. Pressure from locals prompted cops to arrest him later for "attempt to kidnap."
Cops are not convinced that Tinku Roy actually tried to abduct the child Vicky Sau.They feel, after preliminary investigations, that Tinku was a drug-addict and was trying to rob Vicky. Tinku, cops said, lived in Chitpore and had no work.
On Sunday morning, at 11:30 am, while Vicky was playing (in Belgachia), locals heard him screaming and a youth tugging at him. This led them to immediately surround Tinku and beat him up. They stopped only after cops reached the scene.
Vicky, who had come down to his uncle''s Kundu Lane (Belgachia) home just three days ago from his house on Bhukailash Road, told cops that Tinku demanded money from him. Tinku, however, feigns innocence. He claims he was smoking a bidi when Tinku picked up a fight with him. He was scuffling (with someone half his age) when locals caught up with him. Police, however, hasn''t bought this story.
The simmering tension over the incident could be felt even hours later when anguished locals staged road blockades for over 30 minutes at Indra Biswas Road and Belgachia Road. The police has "promised" to investigate the matter thoroughly.
Deputy commissioner of police (Eastern Suburban Division) Ranvir Kumar said, "An FIR has been lodged for attempt to kidnap." But police admit they are yet to gather corroborating evidence against Tinku. "Why would Vicky be kidnapped? He does not come from a wealthy family," a senior officer said. "Moreover, drugaddicts try to get whatever they can lay their hands on," said the officer.