A Nepalese woman, who had come to Bareilly in search of a job, was allegedly beaten by a mob on suspicion of theft, police said on Sunday.
The woman, identified as Sushmita Saru Magar alias Kajal, hailing from the Pokhara district in Nepal, was admitted to the hospital in serious condition, they added.
According to police, the incident occurred on Saturday night when the woman was staying at the house of an acquaintance, Vinay Gangwar, in Baradari.
She had stepped onto the terrace around 1 am while on a phone call when some residents mistook her for a thief.
Quila police station officials said the residents raised an alarm, shone torchlights toward her, and chased her. Frightened, she tried to open the terrace door. Failing to do so, she jumped off the roof in panic and fell to the ground. She was then beaten with sticks by the mob.
A video of the incident surfaced on social media, showing the woman pleading with folded hands, repeatedly saying, "I am not a thief," but the mob continued to assault her.
Senior Superintendent of Police (City) Manush Pareek said that based on the video evidence and the victim's complaint, a case has been registered, and four accused — Gaurav Saxena, Shivam Saxena, Aman Saxena, and Arun Saini, all residents of Baradari — have been arrested.
Efforts are on to identify and arrest the remaining accused, he said.
The victim told police she used to work in Noida but had lost her job and had come to Bareilly through a known contact to look for work.
During the attack, two of her teeth were broken, and she suffered injuries to her leg, she said.
Police have assured strict action against those involved in taking the law into their own hands.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
