Child theft rumours: DGP issues advisory to rein in gossip

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Bhubaneswar: In the wake of an alarming rise in incidents of mob fury across the state against strangers on the suspicion of being ‘child-lifters’, Director General of Police (DGP) RP Sharma Tuesday issued an advisory requesting people to not believe in rumours being spread on the social media about child theft gangs from neighbouring states being active in various parts of Odisha.
In his advisory, the DGP stated, “As the head of state police administration I assure you that no such incident is happening in our state.” The DGP also warned people to not spread false messages on Whatsapp and Facebook and not become a part of the crime that is punishable under the law.
“Students and other people from Odisha are residing in other states for studies, employment and other purposes. Similarly, people from other states are also residing in Odisha. Therefore, it is wrong to suspect non-Odia-speaking people to be child-lifters,” DGP Sharma appealed, adding, “If anyone finds any stranger behaving in an unnatural manner, he/she should report the matter to the nearest police station and not take the law into their hands.”
The DGP also rubbished rumours that the ‘so-called’ child-lifters were keen to remove hearts, eyes and kidneys of the stolen children as totally false. According to medical science, unless organs are removed under the supervision of expert doctors and preserved with utmost care in hospitals, they become useless.
Through the advisory, Sharma informed that all the police officials in the state have been directed to patrol their respective areas and keep a close eye on all strangers. The officers have also been instructed to take legal action if necessary. The DGP has also ordered the officers to take stringent action against those who assault or harass innocent strangers.
It is worth mentioning here that more than 50 innocent people, including women and mentally-challenged people, have been harassed and insulted on the suspicion of being child-lifters by locals in various parts of the state during the last one week.