Bengaluru: Suspecting theft, the neighbors forced four minor boys to strip off and tortured them mercilessly for half an hour, forcing them to stand with stones on their heads after one of their cell phones were stolen in Srirampura in Bengaluru.
The Police arrested two accused, identified as a 22-year-old labour contractor Anand, and a 27-year-old private firm manager named Murali Manoj while two other accused identified as John and Vivek are on the run.
The incident occurred on July 14 around 4 pm in Okalipuram behind RR Convention Hall where the accused forcibly stripped the minors all aged between eight-ten who were playing during the incident.
According to reports published in TN, when Anand realized that his Rs 8,000-worth mobile phone was missing from the house, he checked it with his friends but could not find it.
Since he found the boys playing behind the convention hall he and his three friends took them and started interrogating them.
When the boys denied stealing the mobile phone, the unconvinced accused ordered the boys to strip.
The boys constantly maintained they knew nothing and were only playing in the field and refused to strip. They were than thrashed with sticks by the accused and later asked the boys to pick stones on their head while they continued mercilessly beating them.
When the victims could no longer take the torture, they screamed for help. The neighbors heard their cries and alerted the victims mothers.
The accused afraid of the approaching crowd fled the spot.
The local police registered a case under sections of POCSO Act after the victims families approached them with their complaints while accused Anand’s phone was later recovered by the police from his house.