Thane, Apr 15 (PTI) Police have detained four persons after they allegedly staged a “fake” crime scene in Navi Mumbai to create social media content and garner people’s attention, officials said on Tuesday.

A white car was spotted in Sanpada area at around 8.45 pm on Monday, with a human hand visibly protruding from its trunk, an official from the Navi Mumbai crime branch said.

A video and photograph of the same went viral on social media at night.

Alarmed by the scene, a person alerted the Sanpada police, suspecting a possible abduction or murder.

Acting swiftly, police teams tracked down the vehicle and detained its driver and three others for questioning. One of them runs a laptop shop in Koparkhairne area of Navi Mumbai and was preparing a reel along with others for his business promotion, the police said.

The persons admitted to the police that the act was part of a staged video shoot meant for creating reels and other social media content to promote laptop sales, the official said without elaborating how the act and the laptop sales promotion were linked.

They also told the police that the intention was to dramatise the video to capture attention and generate online engagement, he said.

“The sight of a human hand hanging out of a vehicle trunk was alarming and triggered immediate concern,” the official said.

“Even though the motive was publicity, the execution was highly irresponsible. Social media fame cannot come at the cost of public fear and chaos,” he said.

A case has been registered against the four persons under section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act, which pertains to dangerous and rash driving, the police said.

The Navi Mumbai police also appealed to the people, especially content creators, to act responsibly and avoid stunts that may trigger panic or simulate crimes. PTI COR GK