A 29-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly spreading a rumour on WhatsApp that children are being kidnapped.
The arrest follows three recent lynchings in the northern districts iafter the spread of the rumour.
In Chennai, the Commissioner of Police has warned that the Goondas Act would be invoked against those spreading such rumours.
Police said Veeraraghavan, a resident of Rice Mill Street in Purisai in Cheyyar taluk, in a video circulated on May 2 on WhatsApp narrates that a number of children have been abducted from a few villages in Cheyyar, Vandavasi, Anakkavoor and Kancheepuram.
Tiruvannamalai District Superintendent of Police R. Ponni said the Cyber Crime Wing tracked Veeraraghavan and arrested him. He was booked under section 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) and 507 (criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication) of the Indian Penal Code.
Woman beaten to death
On May 9, 65-year-old Rukmani was beaten to death by a group of villagers of Athimoor in Tiruvannamalai district after they mistook her and four others for child kidnappers. Twenty-three villagers have been arrested in the case.
In Gudiyatham, a north Indian was beaten to death by locals who mistook him for a burglar
The latest instance was in Pulicat. On Wednesday night, mob thrashed a man to death and hung him from a bridge, claiming he was a kidnapper. Eighteen persons have been arrested.
In a press release, Ms. Ponni said stern action would be taken against those spreading false news on social media. She urged the public not to believe such information. If they came across any suspicious persons, they could contact the office of the Superintendent of Police immediately through the following phone numbers – 94981 00430 (WhatsApp) and 04175-233633.
Santosh Hadimoni, Superintendent of Police, Kancheepuram Police District, on Friday commended the residents of Orathi for heeding to the police plea not to hurt “strangers”. He lauded them for not taking the law into their hands and handing over a person who could not speak Tamil.
