Bihar: Five children paraded naked for stealing chocolates, three people arrested

Five children aged between eight and 12 years were allegedly stripped naked and paraded for stealing chocolates from a grocery store a Sitamarhi village in Bihar on Thursday, reported TOI.

The children, whose parents could not afford chocolates were also smeared with lime powder, garlands of shoes and were tied together with a rope before being paraded on the streets.

Police arrested three people. including shopowner Nageshwar Sharma, his son Prakash Kumar and a local villager, Krishna Kumar, soon after the video on social media went viral.


"An FIR was lodged against them and they were sent to jail on Friday. The children were subjected to inhumane treatment on the charge of stealing chocolates by the shopowner, but the latter never informed the police about the thefts in his shop, including those in the past, as claimed by him," Sitamarhi (sadar) subdivisional police officer Ram Krishna told the TOI on Friday.

He added that they are initiating legal action against a media person who recorded the video and made it viral without following the established protocol in such a sensitive matter.

In the video the shopowner, who is seen holding a stick, says, "They (children) have stolen goods from my shop. I can't exactly say how long they have been committing the thefts."

However, the children said this was their first theft. "We stole a few chocolates only this time," one of the children said.

(With TOI inputs)