Western UP gripped by child kidnap rumours, police struggle to keep pace

“The rumour had been spread on social media… When we investigated, we found that the woman had taken her grandson shopping. Certain anti-social elements assaulted her as well. We are in the process of filing an FIR against persons who spread the news online, as well as those who attacked her. The case will be registered against almost 25 people at Loni police station,” said Neeraj Jadaun, SP Rural (Ghaziabad).

Dasna, August 22
A mentally challenged man traveling in a train was beaten up at Dasna railway station as the crowd suspected he was kidnapping a child. He was rescued by Railway Police officials but not before he sustained injuries.

Ghaziabad, August 25
Four people were arrested by police for disturbing peace in Ghaziabad’s Akash Nagar after they allegedly spread a rumour that two men had kidnapped a minor. The two were cornered by a mob and roughed up. Police said the arrests were made to send the message that such rumour mongering won’t be tolerated. Police said fake WhatsApp messages and unconnected videos are often forwarded to rile the crowd in such cases.

Meerut, August 25
Eight people were arrested for allegedly thrashing a man on the suspicion of child kidnapping. The victim had come to sell herbs in Meerut’s Shahjahanpur area, police said.

Kairana, August 26
Five women were attacked in a crowded market place as word spread that they were kidnapping and taking children to a different state. The assault was captured on videos which soon started doing the rounds online. According to police, the women, hailing from Gujarat, would travel city to city selling coir.

Muzaffarnagar, Aug 27
Two persons were challaned for spreading fake information after they accused two people of kidnapping a child. “They told villagers that two bike-borne men had kidnapped an eight-year-old, leading to confusion and panic. We found that the information was fake and took action against them,” said an officer from Bhaura Kalan police station.

Over the last one week, police have been issuing advisories and appeals on social media, including WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter, asking people not to fall for fake news. Police said such cases are tough to deal with because rumours spread like wildfire and people are willing to take the law into their own hands because they think a child is involved.

“We are holding meetings with gram pradhans and other village seniors, asking them to advise people not to believe rumours. In case they come across any information of a child being kidnapped, they are advised to dial 100 so the law can take its own course,” said Neeraj Jadaun. The Gautam Budh Nagar district also issued a statement clarifying that information of a suspected child kidnapping gang being active in the region was untrue. The hashtag #UPAgainstFakeNews is also being used by official police Twitter handles to provide information about fake news.