Man tied up, thrashed & shamed on theft claim

Ludhiana: A disturbing case of a group of youths allegedly dehumanising and shaming a man they suspected of theft has been reported from Jodhewal area. The accused allegedly held down the victim and humiliated him by cutting his hair.The shocking incident, a video of which has gone viral on social media, took place in Jodhewal area. Police have registered a case.The video shows the men thrashing the victim. They tied him to a pole, beat him up and pasted a paper reading, “main chor hoon” (I am a thief) on his chest. Sources said the accused suspected the victim of having stolen a mobile phone.When the video was circulated on social media, police took cognisance of the matter.In his complaint, ASI Balkar Singh of Jodhewal police station said that he was on patrol with his team on June 10 when they received information about the video of a group of youths unlawfully confining and assaulting a man on Kailash Nagar Road.Police registered a case against the unidentified accused under sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 127(2) (wrongful confinement of a person), 127(8) (wrongful confinement related), 352 (intentional insult and provocation), 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 190 (common intention) of BNS.Police said that the accused are yet to be identified and shopkeepers in the area are being questioned. He added that the victim has not come forward either.Can be added as box: HALL OF SHAMEJan 2025 | Bahadurke Road: A viral video showed a woman, her three daughters — including a minor — and her son paraded with blackened faces and placards reading “I am a thief, and I accept my crime” hung around their necks.April 2026 | Noorwala Road: A man suspected of theft was tied to an electricity pole and allegedly assaulted by local residents and shopkeepers. The attackers shaved his head and one eyebrow with an electric trimmer while recording the incident. Police later registered an FIR after the video surfaced online and said no theft complaint had been filed against the victimNov 2024 | Mullapur Dakha: Villagers who claimed to have caught a youth stealing tubewell wires paraded him through village streets instead of handing him over to the police. The incident led to protests and road blockades, with police later intervening.