A day after four women were assaulted on suspicion of being child kidnappers in Dhupguri block of Jalpaiguri district, four others were detained on Tuesday after people of a village in the block handed them over to the police on the same suspicion.
The villagers of Paschim Salbari confined the four, including a woman, in her residence and informed the police, Jalpaiguri superintendent of police Amitabha Maity said.
The four suspects were not beaten up, he said.
The incident occurred a day after four women were assaulted and two of them disrobed by a mob at another village in the same Dhupguri block on suspicion of being child kidnappers.
The police officer said the four, of whom three were outsiders, were being interrogated in Dhupguri police station.
Police sources said one of the three outsiders came from Assam and had said he and the woman were together.
However, the villagers found inconsistency in their statements following which they were handed over to the police, the sources said.
On yesterday's assault on four women, the police officer said they were from New Jalpaiguri area and had committed petty crimes in the past.
Several incidents of assault on people following rumours of child kidnapping have been reported in the district.
Last week, a mentally disabled woman was beaten up in the same block on suspicion of being a chil kidnapper.
The police officer said the rumour of child kidnapping was spread by people who wished to disturb the law and order in the district.
The police have been asking the people through social media and public address system not to take law into their own hands and contact the police on the helpline if they found anything suspicious.
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