Police arrest 25 in latest WhatsApp rumour-led lynching in Karnataka
Police have arrested more than two dozen men who were part of a mob that lynched a 32-year-old man after rumours spread over WhatsApp that he was a child-kidnapper, police said on Sunday.
By : migrator
Update: 2018-07-15 13:36 GMT
Bengaluru
The killing of Mohammed Azam, who police said was a call centre employee, in Karnataka on Friday, was the latest in a series of assaults triggered by false messages about child abductors spread through Facebook Inc-owned WhatsApp.
At least three people have been killed and more than a dozen assaulted over such rumours this year, according to media reports.
Dileep Sagar, a police inspector in Karnataka, said a mob of at least 50 people attacked Azam and a relative after they were spotted offering chocolates to children in a remote village.
The Information Technology ministry wrote to WhatsApp this month asking it to take measures to curb the spread of such fake messages.
WhatsApp put out advertisements in newspapers last week announcing an “education campaign” on how to spot fake news, adding it would also start labelling forwarded messages.
A spokeswoman for the company contacted on Sunday declined to make an immediate comment.
The inspector, Sagar, said at least 10 police officers, including him, were inured as they tried to control the attackers. Azam’s relative was injured.
Police have also arrested the administrator of a WhatsApp group on which the false messages were spread
Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!
Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!
Click here for iOS
Click here for Android