LUCKNOW, Oct. 6 -- A group of villagers attacked three pedestrians on suspicion of they being drone thieves in a Rae Bareli village early on Saturday, senior police officials said on Sunday. Ten individuals have been arrested in connection with the assault. The latest incident comes five days after a a 38-year-old mentally unstable man, resident of Tarwawati ka Purwa of Fatehpur district, was lynched by a group on suspicion of being a drone thief at Dadedpur Majra Ishwardaspur village under Rae Bareli's Unchahar police station limits on Wednesday midnight. Hari Om was attacked and left abandoned in an injured state when he lost his way to his in-laws' place. Similarly, a mob under Rae Bareli's Salon police station limits brutally beat three persons, suspecting them for thieves, when they were returning home after watching a cultural programme in the early hours of Saturday. "The incident occurred at Jaudaha village under Krahiya police outpost limits of Salon when the three men, identified as Surjeet, Umesh, and Mukesh from Pratapgarh's Jewai area, were walking back to their homes," confirmed circle officer of Salon, Yadvendra Bahadur Pal in a video version shared by Rae Bareli police on X. The CO said the villagers, suspecting them to be thieves, chased and caught the men, tying them to a pole with ropes and beating them mercilessly. The police rescued the injured men who were then taken to a community health centre (CHC) and later referred to the district hospital due to serious head injuries. CHC superintendent Amit Singh, confirmed that the injured were brought to the health centre late at night and were referred to the district hospital for further treatment. The CO further said the police immediately arrested six individuals , including Mukesh Saroj, Dheeraj Kumar, Babloo, Vinod Kumar, and Sher Bahadur, for their alleged involvement in the beating. He said four more accused Shiva, Dharmendra, Arjun and Ritesh, whose name surfaced during further interrogation, were also arrested on Sunday. He said the accused have been sent to jail, and the police are investigating the matter. He said the police have registered an FIR against 15 unidentified people under appropriate Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita sections for unlawful assembly, attacking and voluntarily causing hurt to the three people by tying them to poles. The CO said the police have deployed security personnel in the village to maintain law and order, adding that patrolling has been intensified during night hours to avert any similar incident in the future In the past 20 days, there have been at least 16 incidents of people being attacked or beaten up on suspicion of being drone thieves in UP villages. In one incident, a man lost his life in Rae Bareli on October 2. The fear of drone thieves has significantly impacted daily life in rural parts of Uttar Pradesh. Villagers are staying awake at night, keeping watch for potential threats, while others have installed terrace lights to 'scare off suspected drones'. Despite the widespread fear, there is no conclusive evidence linking drones to thefts but the state police have taken steps to address the situation, including maintaining a drone register and banning unauthorised night flights....