A woman was thrashed by passengers on board a local train at North 24 Parganas Birati station, West Bengal on suspicion of being a child lifter.
The Government Railway Police (GRP) official on Wednesday said the woman was rescued by the railway police personnel from the mob which alleged she had lifted the baby.
However, the woman claimed to be the mother of the baby and hailed from a neighbouring state living in the Dumdum area of North 24 Parganas district.
Police said though the baby seemed to be comfortable in her company, a probe was initiated into the matter.
GRP personnel were investigating the allegations and accompanied her to her residence in Dumdum, the official said.
The passengers turned suspicious after the woman could not reply coherently to their queries when they asked about her relations with the baby.
As the news of the woman child lifer spread, passengers assaulted the woman and blocked the railway tracks for 15 minutes.
GRP resorted to lathi-charge to rescue the woman. The incident took place close on the heels of at least three cases of mob thrashing strangers in different localities of North 24 Parganas district on suspicion of being child lifters.
Police have repeatedly asked people not to be swayed by such rumours and arrested a few people on charge of spreading fake news of child lifting on social media.
(With PTI inputs)
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