Teenager flogged in West Bengal on allegations of mobile theft, now missing

A 14-year-old boy was captured on camera being flogged in Maheshtala town of West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district on allegations of mobile theft. He has been missing since the incident on May 31.

In the video, which had surfaced online, the boy was seen hanging upside down and being beaten in public view. He had also allegedly been given electric shocks.

The boy has been missing since the incident. Police from Maheshtala’s Rabindra Nagar police station have initiated a search and arrested two people so far.

The victim was reportedly a resident of Islampur in West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district and was working in a garment factory in Maheshtala.

The garment factory is owned by one Mohammad Shahenshah, who had employed both the victim and his brother from Islampur roughly two months back. Shahenshah has reportedly shut his factory and absconded.

Mohammad Dil, the victim’s father, lodged a complaint at Islampur police station on June 1. Residents of Maheshtala claimed that they saw the victim with a group of people looking for a mobile phone near a pond, before he was beaten up.

This incident follows a similar development last week, where a 12-year-old boy had taken his life after being accused by a shop-owner of stealing a packet of chips from the shop.

According to the police, the boy was humiliated after the shop owner, as well as the boy’s mother, allegedly strongly reprimanded him for picking up the chips.

The boy had allegedly consumed poison and succumbed to death after being rushed to the hospital.

Published - June 05, 2025 03:28 am IST