Police searched nook and corner of the area but found nothing suspicious.
Villagers from over 100 villages in Maval district spent several sleepless night after a social media message went viral claiming presence of chaddi banyan gang in the area. The message claimed that the gang would kill villagers and loot them.
The message also left police in tizzy as they had to carry out combing operation in several villages between Lonavala and Talegoan under Maval district to remove fear from villagers mind. Police said that villagers themselves had carried out coming operation in the night using masal (torch) to trace the gang. However, they did not find anything suspicious.
Vidya Mohite, deputy Sarpanch of Mohitewadi under Vadgaon police station said that villagers did not sleep several nights after the fake message spread on Whatsapp. “I too received the fake message like other villagers. I deleted it but other villagers sent it to neighbouring villages inspite of asking them not to do so. They did it out of fear,” said Mohite. The adjoining villages where the message left villagers sleepless night are Chikase and Brahaman Vadi.
Pradeep Kale, senior inspector of Vadgaon police station under Maval district accepted that there has been rumour in several villages for quite some times about presence of a gang which would loot them. “Since Sunday, fake news was spreading among villagers about presence of the gang that would loot them. We also received complaint from villagers,” said Kale.
He added that though they did not register any case, they carried out combing operation to remove fear from villagers mind. “We took villagers and went to each and every area. We did not find anything suspicious.The message was nothing but a rumour,” said Kale.
Police also distributed leaflets asking villagers not to believe on such message as there is no truth in it. “We have interacted with villagers and ensured that them that there is no such gang active in the area,” said Kale adding that similar message was also viral in Lonavala area for around a month back. “This is might a mischievous act to spread fear among villagers,” said Kale.
amit.srivastava@dnaindia.net
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