Amidst messages regarding a child kidnapping syndicate flying thick and fast over the social media, the police have arrested two persons from North Paravur here on charges of circulating hoax abduction message.
The arrested have been identified as Shinu, 34, and Aboobacker, 45, both natives of Jarappady near North Paravur.
Audio message
In an audio message, the accused claimed that Aboobacker had witnessed an attempt to abduct a two-year-old child and foiled it.
“The audio clip stated that the kidnapper, on a two-wheeler, collided with an autorickshaw that Aboobacker was riding. In the impact of the collision, a child, who was being hidden in the person’s jacket, fell out of it. The clip claimed that the child was rescued by its parents, who were on its trail,” officials said.
The message, which was circulated widely, had caused a lot of confusion, prompting the police to launch a probe and trace the culprits. The accused have been booked under Section 73 of the IT Act, 118 (b) of the Kerala Police Act and Section 153 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and were released on bail.
Earlier, the police in Aluva had registered cases against two persons from Abattukavu for circulating similar hoax messages.
Cases registered
A wave of panic is sweeping through the district with the police reporting several instances of abduction attempts. The police said cases were being registered in all instances, primarily to convince local people.
However, the victims or witnesses in all these cases have stuck to their claims only till a detailed interrogation by the police.
