Rumours of kidnapping attempts swirl on social media groups across Pune city areas, spark panic among parents and children

Pune:A wave of anxiety has spread across several residentialneighbourhoodsinthecityaftersocial mediamessages warning about an unknown woman allegedlyattemptingto lure children began circulating widely on housing society groups.The messages claimed that awell-spokenwoman, conversing in Hindi and English,is enteringsociety premises and tried to coax children playing inside by offering them sweets and asking them to step outside.
The claims, shared extensively on WhatsApp groups across Kothrud,Wanowrie, NIBM Road,Undri, Pimpri Chinchwad, and more quickly triggeredalarmamong parents.Pune city police have, however, rubbished this claim.They clarified thatno such incident has beenreportedand the messages are false and misleading. The policealsoreleased an advisory stating thattherumoursappear to have been circulated to create unnecessary fear and panic, urging citizens nottoforwardunverified information.Despitethisofficial clarification, the psychological impact has been significant. Parents across societies say children's outdoor routines have changed, playtime hours have been reduced, movement within complexes is beingmonitoredmore closely, and families are exercising heightened caution.While vigilance around children's safety is essential and strangers should always be approached carefully, residents say the unverified messages amplified fear beyond reasonable concern.SunchikaMhatre from Kothrud said repeated forwards made therumourfeel believable. "When you receive the same message from multiple groups, it starts feelingreal evenif there is no proof. We became extra cautious, but it also made children unnecessarily fearful,"she said."The message came late at night and within minutes,everyone was discussing security measures. Even after learning it was false, the fear lingered.Nowadays,Iaccompanymy children to the society's playground just to be safe," said Sneha Kulkarni, a mother of two fromUndri.InWanowrie, parent Radhika Sharma said that the panic caused by such messages has resulted in fights among parents and their children."Even ifachild is10minutes late returning from tuition within the society, parentswereseenpanicking. Parents of teenagers are also scared. After the clarification from the police was posted on our society'sWhatsAppgroup, other residents started talking about how guards must be more vigilant," said Sharma.Punepoliceemphasisedthat responsible digitalbehaviouris key to preventing such panic; beforeforwardingalarming claims, citizens should verify information through credible news sources or conduct a quick online search to check whether any verified report exists. Police havefurtheradvised residents torely only on official updates and to report genuine suspicious activity through helpline 112.