RANCHI/JAMSHEDPUR, March 10 -- In a chilling manifestation of mob violence fuelled by misinformation, two women were lynched in Ranchi and West Singhbhum as they were suspected to be child-lifters following widespread rumours. One died, while the other was rescued by the police. According to the police, a woman, in her early 50's, was beaten to death by a mob in Lagaba village in Ranchi late Sunday night. The victim, who was reportedly mentally challenged, fell prey to baseless rumours that she was a "child lifter." A police constable close to the matter informed that the woman had been seen wandering around the village outskirts for several days. On Sunday night, a group of villagers cornered her, accusing her of attempting to kidnap local children. The confrontation quickly escalated into a brutal assault, with the mob using sticks and stones to beat her until she became senseless. "The police arrived at the scene after receiving a tip-off and managed to extricate the victim from the crowd. She was rushed to a nearby Community Health Centre (CHC) in critical condition but she succumbed to her injuries during treatment. The woman appeared to be mentally unstable and could not establish her identity or purpose for being in the village," the police constable said. Superintendent of Police (SP) of Gumla, Haris Bin Zaman, confirmed the incident, stating that three persons were arrested in this connection. "We registered an FIR under relevant sections in this connection and arrested three so far," Zaman said confirming the incident. When asked whether the matter falls under the category of mob lynching, SP Zaman said: "We have registered a murder case but have kept all options open to proceed further in the matter." In another incident, an elderly woman was similarly beaten by the people in Ramda village under the Hathiya panchayat in Chakradharpur Block of West Singhbhum district before the police rescued her to safety, police said on Monday. She was also rumoured to be a child-lifter. "The elderly woman has been rescued and is undergoing treatment in the Chakradharpur sub-divisional hospital. She is not able to provide much information about her family or residence. We are trying to find her residence and safely hand her over to her relatives. We again appeal to the villagers not to pay heed on rumours and inform the police immediately in case of any suspicious activities. We also appeal to the villagers not to take law into their hands that will invite strong legal action," Awdesh Kumar, Chakradharpur police station (PS) officer-in-charge (OC), told the media on Monday. Such incidents mark a grim addition to the rising trend of vigilante justice in Jharkhand. Despite repeated police advisories urging citizens not to succumb to WhatsApp-driven rumours, fear-mongering regarding "child-lifting gangs" continues to trigger fatal violence against outsiders and the mentally-ill. "This is the second death due to suspicion of a child lifter in Jharkhand this year. Earlier, on February 15, Rambali Rajwar (45), a mentally ill man from Ramgarh, was brutally thrashed by a mob in Chiraiyatand village, Piparwar. He succumbed to his injuries the next morning while undergoing treatment at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi. Four suspects, identified as Prayag Mahto, Mahendra Mahto, Surendra Mahto, and Basant Munda, were arrested based on viral video footage of the assault," a police official said. "The violence extended to other districts through similar patterns of misinformation though there was no death. On February 13 a woman named Manisha Devi was cornered by a mob in the Balidih Police Station area in Bokaro. She was a door-to-door sales executive for a tea company but was mistaken for a child lifter. Police rescued her and verified her identity before releasing her," the police official added....