Nagpur, Apr 19 (PTI) The urge for sensationalism through social media boomeranged on two residents of Nagpur, with the police now launching a search, but not before the false alarm of a lurking gang of thieves gave sleepless night to villagers near Nagpur.

The main accused, Pawan Vinayak Uke (29), a resident of Old Kamptee, created a WhatsApp group named “Chorose Saavdhan” and added 145 people, including local resident Pradeep Uke (34).

Over the past eight days, the group became a hotspot for false alerts about “thieves” roaming the area, police said on Saturday.

The fear of thieves forced several villagers to stay up at night and many patrolled the streets with sticks and torches.

Adding fuel to the fire, Tejas Dilip Bhure (25), another resident of Old Kamptee and a group member, shared a controversial video, police said.

However, police later confirmed that the video clip was not from Kamptee village and was posted purely to spread fake news.

When a local confronted the group’s admin, Pawan Uke, about the panic it was causing, he quickly deleted the group. But it was too late as the damage had been done and the police were informed.

Based on a complaint, Kanhan Police has booked Pawan Uke and Tejas Bhure under sections 353(1) and 3(5) of the Indian Penal Code 2023 for spreading rumours and causing public unrest.

The Nagpur Rural Police have appealed to the public not to believe in unverified news through WhatsApp or other platforms. PTI COR NSK