Rumours that lead to mass hysteria of attacks by dacoits, like the recent ones which shook the Telugu States and put the police on their toes, are not new.
Way before any communication system including instant messaging services was available, wild rumours of dacoits roaming around often sprang up in the summer months.
The rumours included prowl of trained and ruthless gangs, men who torch huts in the villages and others. The only means of their spread was word of mouth.
In the mid-90s, rumours surrounding the isolated incidents of huts catching fire in the midnight in the city and various villages had forced people to form teams to guard villages all through the night. Men guarding the villages in shifts used to call out parahushar (be alert) as a sign of assurance. In another case over a female ghost, people of the city literally wrote messages on their doors requesting it to go away!
A decade ago, people living on the hill slopes in the city were caught in the grip of fear following rumours of dacoits, covered with grease, who would descend from the top of the hills in the midnight. This had prompted people to stay awake for days until the police dispelled the rumours. However, mob lynching hardly took place in the district.
Gurkhas
On the other hand, the gurkhas who guarded colonies and residential areas assuring safety and security with their familiar sounds of whistle and tapped cane on the ground had been replaced by watchmen as the apartment culture rose.
In the past several years, the number of gurkhas came down and they are almost not seen in any of the city colonies now.