At least six men have beaten to death by mobs in eastern India on suspicions that they had kidnapped children.
The killings took place in two separate incidents in adjoining districts of Jharkhand state on Thursday night, police say.
Angry villagers pelted stones, clashed with police and torched two police vehicles.
The first incident took place in East Singbhum district where three men were beaten to death by villagers who accused them of kidnapping children, police officer Prashant Anand said.
Rumours had been circulating over social media and Whatsapp about child kidnapping gangs being active in the region.
"The tribal villagers cornered the men and tempers ran high after they came to know they were outsiders, belonging to another district," he said. "Suspecting them to be child-lifters, a mob physically assaulted and beat them with sticks until they died."
In the second, related incident in adjoining Seraikela district three more men were lynched on similar suspicions, Anand said.
Police denied reports that a number of child abduction cases were reported in the region as part of trafficking rackets.
"No such cases have been reported. We are trying to check the spread of rumours which is responsible for the violence. We will identify and arrest those responsible for circulating such rumours," Anand said.
