Child kidnap scare: Over 25 held in TN for mob attacks

The police are also trying to identify those spreading rumours on child lifters of north Indian origin being on the prowl in northern districts of Tamil Nadu.

The SP had already warned people against taking the law into their own hands, adding, such acts would lead to filing of cases against them. Police have also started distributing handbills besides using public announcement system to tell people not to believe rumours being spread on social media.

Meanwhile, Cheyyar police in Tiruvannamalai district arrested a 35-year old construction worker, Veeraraghavan, who uploaded a video saying 20 children had been stolen from surrounding villages. In the video, he also referred to “Hindi karanunga” (Hindi speaking north Indians) tried to steal children by placing them in an icebox, but took to their heels when the public chased them.

The Tiruvallur police on Friday detained 15 people for allegedly beating a middle aged man to death in Pazhaverkadu (Pulicat) as they mistook him for a child kidnapper on Wednesday night. Police believe that rumours about child kidnapping gangs triggered panic among the people who started suspecting strangers. Meanwhile, Ponneri police on Friday arrested two men Saranraj and Mahendran for allegedly picking on Lakshmanan, from Odisha, working in a private firm in Ponneri. While one of the onlookers informed the police about the people manhandling him, police rescued the victim.

Chennai Commissioner of Police on Friday issued a warning against those spreading rumours on social media networks about child lifters, saying they would be booked under the Goondas Act. City police chief AK Viswanathan, while interacting with the media, noted that rumour mongers will be dealt with seriously. “Strict action will be taken against such people. They can be even booked under Goondas Act,” the officer said.

While the city police claim that there is no clarity on how dubious messages of North Indian gangs landing in Chennai to steal children originated and spread like wildfire across the state resulting in the lynching of several people, such messages have been spread across social media groups, especially on Whatsapp, triggering a panic in rural areas. Following the rumours, a few media houses too warned public to be wary of such gangs which caused even more damage as mobs started scourging for outsiders. Despite repeated appeals by senior police officers warning public to refrain from taking law in their hands, the sensitivity of the issue – kidnap of children – incited mob violence.

Even as officers are warning rumour mongers of detaining them under Goondas Act for spreading fake news, police sources disclosed that the possibility of zeroing on the person, who starts such a rumour, is not very high.

“Servers placed in abroad and encrypted message services make it difficult for investigators and cyber cops to pinpoint the origin of such messages. It is relatively easy in FB to track back the chain of messages. But in WhatsApp services, it will be very difficult,” a senior officer noted. Of course, the police had made one arrest in Tiruvannamalai, because the suspect had uploaded his video – in which he talked about the presence of child kidnapping gang – and circulated it. However, police are sure that they will be able to identify those involved in violence against strangers as most incidents are videographed.