Director General of Police M. Mahender Reddy on Wednesday appealed to people not to take law into their hands by responding to false reports on social media over movement of criminal gangs in the State.
Expressing concern over the killing of two persons – one at Bibinagar on Hyderabad fringes and another at Bhimgal in Nizamabad district – in the attacks by villagers who mistook them to be offenders, the DGP warned of stringent action against rumour-mongers. “No criminal gangs are on the prowl in any part of Telangana as being projected by some on social media. Dial 100 and alert police if you come across any such gang or a person,” he said.
The killings at Bhimgal and Bibinagar were not the only incidents triggered by fake alarms about violent criminal gangs moving about in the State. In Vikarabad and other places in the State, different groups of people had beaten up individuals suspecting them to be offenders.
“In some villages, people are patrolling their localities carrying sticks looking out for suspects. Don’t do it,” Mr. Reddy appealed to the public. He said some persons were taken into custody in connection with the two killings and efforts were on to identify those responsible for the same as well as other attacks.
The DGP assured that the State police were fully equipped to catch any criminal having put in place camera surveillance system all over the State. He requested the citizens to pass on any information relating to offenders to the local police instead of resorting to physical assault on suspects directly. He added that police patrolling parties would reach the spot in case of any incident at the shortest possible time in any part of the State—15 minutes in urban areas and 30 minutes in rural localities. He also warned individuals against posting or forwarding any false content on social media. “Penal action will be initiated against them after gathering evidence,” he said.
