Hyderabad: The spate of rumours on social messaging platforms claimed their first victim, with a 33-year-old man being beaten to death by villagers of Jiyapally, Bibinagar, of Nalgonda.
The villagers suspected him to be a member of a gang involved in robbing people and killing children, which the fake forwards on social messaging sites spoke of. The victim was identified as autorickshaw driver Nimalla Balakrishna, 33, of Korremula in Ghatkesar.
DCP, Bhongir, E. Ramachandra Reddy, said Balakrishna was inebriated and locals grew suspicious. They questioned him, but when he could not give a satisfactory reply, they thrashed him.
“Villagers who were maintaining a vigil for suspicious persons and outsiders spotted him walking on the streets at around 10.30 pm. They caught hold of him and started beating him,” the DCP said.
After he fell down, some persons took Balakrishna to a hospital but he died on the way.
The police learnt that Balakrishna had gone to Jiyapally a visit his brother’s family. After dinner, he went to the village outskirts, bought a liquor bottle and consumed it, the DCP said.
Police has registered a case under IPC Section 302 (murder) at the Bibinagar police station but no arrests have been made so far. Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat appealed to the people to not fall prey to the fake news on social media about kidnapping and robbery gangs.
In another incident of rumours creating panic, the police was alerted when some construction workers spotted four persons moving on the streets in Gopannapally. Locals immediately contacted the police who rushed to the place and calmed them.
