Fake social media messages raise tension among mob in Tamil Nadu: cops

New Delhi : After a messed up incidents in Northern districts of Tamil Nadu in which public have assaulted persons, even leading to death on account of suspicion of being child traffickers, police of these districts have started to the spread of rumours on social media. The fake message has gone viral and is contributing to this aggression.

The social media messages allege that groups of people from north Indian states are kidnapping kids in Tamil Nadu. The kind of messages has created tension among the public but police have refused to accept such rumours.

One such message circulated recently reads: “Alert parents and ladies: Nearly 52 child missing case filed in kanchipuram alone yesterday. One North Indian was arrested today morning near pillayar paalayam. The arrested’s statement, more than 1000 persons spread over Tamilnadu 1000+ Hindi Guys from Bihar entered Tamilnadu with an intention to KidnapChildren’s 4 of them was caught today in #Kanchipuram.(sic)”

Another social media message features video of a man beating drums and walking on a Vellore street claiming that north Indians are involved in child kidnapping. These messages went viral in Vellore, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts.  

Ater a man was beaten to death in Kancheepuram, police started clarifying to public that these messages were just rumours and there is no true fact involved. They also requested public to inform police if they were suspicious rather than attacking anyone. “We have sent out text messages, audio messages and even distributed pamphlets telling people not to believe such messages and not to circulate them and instructing people not to resort to physical assault,” Kancheepuram SP Santhosh Hadimani said.  

“ So far, no case of child kidnap has been reported and we are trying to find the culprits who are sending out such messages,” he added.