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Kozhikode police scotch kidnap rumours

Police organises school-level awareness programmes to calm nerves.

KOZHIKODE: The parents and children in Kozhikode and elsewhere are in the grip of fear over the rumours of abduction of children by the mafia. The social media has been spreading fake news about such incidents prompting the police to organise school-level awareness programmes to nip the rumours. In most cases, the children themselves have been found to create stories to avoid parental punishment for some misdeeds they commit.

Kasaba CI Pramod told DC, "only one case of abduction was reported in Kozhikode city in the last one year." In the rural areas of Kozhikode like Koyilandy, Meppayur, Naduvathur, Arikulam and Nandi, there are flex boards and hoardings warning the parents about abductions. In five cases reported from Kozhikode city, the children had cooked up the stories to confront their parents. Two days ago, a parent came to the Kasaba station with a complaint that their son was abducted and that he had come back home with a bald head.

On suspicion the police questioned the child and found that he had faked the story after bunking the class, Mr Pramod said. Those who commit the crime will be charged under IPC 363 (A). Due to the rumours on the social media, any real incident is likely to be ignored, said Kozhikode Rural SP N. Vijayakumar. A team led by Mr Pramod, who is in charge of the 'Idiminnal' project which was started to curb crimes committed by juveniles, has been monitoring the activities of students and anti-social elements.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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