Fake and unverified messages with wild claims about abduction of children have kept the city police on tenterhooks for the past week as they are being bombarded with queries from anxious parents. Joint Commissioner of Police (law and order) Vishwas Nangre Patil has appealed to citizens not to fall for such messages floating on WhatsApp or social media and asked all zonal DCPs to deal strictly with those spreading rumours.

“Fake abduction messages have been going viral across the city and almost every police station has received complaints but there is no truth to them. It’s a rumour; no such gangs are active in the city. We have been keeping a close tab on this and I have instructed every zonal DCP to hold meetings with locals and ensure that it doesn’t spread further,” Patil told mid-day.