Mob strips, molests Delhi NGO intern after kidnapping scare

Dubai: A 22-year-old woman working with a leading NGO in Odisha was stripped, molested and assaulted by a mob after being mistaken for a child kidnapper, while her male colleague was beaten up in the attack, police said.

The incident took place in Rayagada district on June 16 but came to light after police arrested at least 20 people, including several juveniles, on Saturday.

The victims — a woman from Delhi and a man from Surat — have been working in tribal areas under a prestigious fellowship programme since September last year.

According to Rayagada Superintendent of Police Raj Prasad, the pair were travelling on a scooter through the district when rumours about child kidnappers spread through the locality.

“As they travelled through the region, some locals became suspicious and chased them on motorcycles. When their scooter slipped and overturned near a field around 8.30pm, the mob caught up with them, assaulted both and stripped and molested the woman,” Prasad told The Indian Express.

The woman said they were using Google Maps because they were unfamiliar with the area. She told local media that a man claiming to be a local resident stopped them and warned them against taking a road ahead, saying it was in poor condition.

As they attempted to turn back, he allegedly tried to snatch the scooter keys and demanded identification.

Chased by villagers

“I showed my ID card, but he refused to believe us. We were scared as a crowd gathered suddenly,” she said.

The pair then tried to leave, but were chased by villagers on motorcycles. After their scooter skidded near a field, the mob allegedly attacked them.

“They assaulted me, pulled my hair, tore my clothes and touched me inappropriately. I am scared and want to go back home. We were here to do social work,” the woman said.

Police rushed to the spot after receiving information about the attack and, with the help of some local residents, attempted to rescue the pair. However, the crowd remained violent and continued assaulting them.

Aggressive crowd

A local driver, 26-year-old Balaram Bagh, helped police move the victims to safety and later accompanied them to a community health centre.

“I saw a mob assaulting them and tried my best to pull them away from the crowd. I took off my T-shirt and gave it to the woman because the mob had torn her dress,” Bagh told the newspaper.

He said the crowd was so aggressive that it chased the police vehicle to the health centre and attempted to vandalise the premises.

Police have registered three cases and arrested 20 suspects so far, with more arrests expected.

Officials said the victims were traumatised by the attack and received medical treatment before being reunited with their families.

The NGO’s executive director said the two were not ready to speak publicly about the incident.