A woman in her thirties was brutally assaulted by an angry mob in Malwani after being mistaken for a child kidnapper, a mid-day report stated. The incident occurred in the Malwani Church locality when the woman, a resident of Charkop, went to meet a close friend to extend New Year greetings. Her friend’s mobile phone was switched off and the house she was trying to locate was found locked.

While trying to locate the house, this woman inadvertently entered a nearby slum pocket, where her presence immediately aroused suspicion among locals. Within minutes, a rumour spread that she was a ‘child lifter’.