Man mistaken for child kidnapper jumps from overpass after 9-hour stand-off
by Aditi VermaIn northern India’s Uttar Pradesh, a man accused of being a child kidnapper was chased by a mob, prompting him to climb onto a foot overbridge. Despite hours of police efforts to coax him down, he eventually jumped and tragically lost his life.
The incident took place at Shivapar village, located in the Line Bazar area of Jaunpur district on September 10.
Visuals showed a group of people were chasing a boy across an overbridge, and in a desperate attempt to escape them, the boy climbed up the structure. The bridge stretched over a busy road below, with the mob gathering near the base. The boy, cornered and terrified, kept moving from side to side, evading any approach. After hours of tension, despite efforts from authorities to save him, the boy, in a moment of panic, leapt off the bridge, plummeting toward the ground.
A tragic incident unfolded in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, where a man, Avinash Kumar from Bihar’s Samastipur district, was mistaken for a child kidnapper and chased by locals in Shivapar village. Fearing for his life, Avinash climbed onto a foot overbridge on the Varanasi-Lucknow highway near Nevada village.
The incident, which occurred early Tuesday morning, saw a mob suspect Avinash and another individual of being involved in child abduction. While one man was handed over to the police, Avinash managed to escape to the overpass. For over nine hours, police and firefighters tried to convince him to come down, using loudspeakers and even laying down tarps and nets to break his fall if he jumped. However, despite their best efforts, Avinash remained on the bridge.
In a final turn of events, Avinash jumped from the overpass, sustaining fatal injuries. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police identified him through an Aadhaar card found in his possession. The incident has sparked alarm about the dangers of mob mentality and the consequences of false accusations.