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In an effort to find out how many users downloaded the photograph and video related to the Lalbaug-Parel communal clashes circulated by “rumour-mongering elements”, the Mumbai Police approached cellular operators after they realised that many had begun deleting mobile application WhatsApp, which was the most widely used medium to spread rumours. The investigation team said the “sharing” of the photograph and video will be revealed by using the number of phones that downloaded the video as evidence.
Two separate incidents in the Lalbaug-Parel belt — a photograph of a youth, who supposedly lost his life, and a video ostensibly of a clash between two communities in Manish Market went viral on WhatsApp — sparked off unrest throughout the city.
ALSO READ: January 4 communal clashes: Photo, video in circulation fake, says city police chief
“The content might have been shared through WhatsApp but sharing it requires the user to download the content to his/ her phone before it can be sent to others. Downloading of the content happens via internet, which is provided by the cellular service provider. We are in touch with several service providers and are trying to find out how many users within Mumbai downloaded the video and the photograph after the January 4 incident,” said an officer with the Mumbai Police Crime Branch.
“It has also found to have been popular among criminal elements because WhatsApp chat history can be wiped out at the touch of a button and does not reflect in the Call Data Records (CDRs) of the user. At present, there is no technological tool to monitor content being shared on WhatsApp in real time.
The matter is being jointly probed by the local police, the Crime Branch, the Special Branch and the Cyber Crime Investigation Cell.
“We are trying to trace the chain through which the content was forwarded. Strict action will be taken against anyone found guilty. On the day of the incident, we were fighting two wars — one on the ground and the other in cyberspace,” Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria said during a press interaction on Monday.
The police said the photograph of the supposed riot fatality turned out to be an image of a road accident victim, while the video was found to have been an edited version of a video of an incident that took place in Karnataka.
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