False abduction report lands Noida man in jail

A 27-year-old man was arrested here on Wednesday for allegedly spreading rumours about three children being abducted, police said.

Accused Sushil Kumar, who stays in Wajidpur, under Expressway police station limits, had claimed around 12 pm that "some men in a Swift Dzire had abducted three children" from Sector 135, the police said.

"Sushil even told villagers that he tried to foil their bid and the miscreants opened fire on him, but he escaped. Further, he called up emergency police service number 100 and informed them about this 'abduction'," Circle Officer, Noida 1, Shwetabh Pandey said.

"When a police team reached the spot to probe the matter, all information turned out to be false. In fact the three children who were claimed to have been abduction were found safe and sound in their house," he said.

The accused was later arrested for circulating false information among public and creating panic, Pandey said.

A case has been registered against the man under Indian Penal Code sections 116 (abetment of offence punishable with imprisonment), 193 (false evidence), and 200 (knowingly sharing information which is false), the police said.

According to a police official, Sushil, a native of Rajasthan, works at a farm house in Greater Noida.

"He was intoxicated at the time of his arrest. He was not drunk but may have consumed some intoxicants," the official told PTI.

The Noida Police has also appealed to the public in general to verify any information before circulating it among themselves, or via social media and whatsapp.