Overview
- Local residents intercepted three young men at a soda factory and, on Wednesday, confined, beat, stripped and forced a barber to shave their heads after accusing them of supplying cannabis to a schoolboy.
- The victims identified as Alvin Shaji, Mohammad Alfas and Gokul Deepak filed a police complaint and were treated at a government hospital for swelling and contusions.
- Perumbavoor police registered a First Information Report under BNS sections including unlawful assembly, wrongful confinement, assault and criminal intimidation and said they are investigating the roles of those involved.
- Officers arrested several suspects; a Perumbavoor court granted bail on July 10 to six people who had been taken into custody in connection with the case.
- The episode highlights a growing pattern of self-styled anti-drug actions that bypass legal process, raises questions about pressure on witnesses, and could prompt closer police scrutiny of mob attempts to police alleged crime.