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Mangaluru: A youth from Kilpadi has lodged a complaint at the Bajpe Police Station, alleging that a photo of him riding a scooter was misused on social media to falsely claim he was carrying deadly weapons.
In his complaint, Kilpadi resident Mohammed Suhail stated that on June 6, at around 8:30 am, he was travelling towards Moodbidri on a scooter with his friend, Wasim Sharif. While passing a construction site on Edapadav Road, Suhail noticed a white, crystal-like stone on the ground. He picked it up with the intention of placing it in his home fish aquarium. He held the stone in his right hand and a vape device in his left hand as they continued their journey.
The next day, around 10:30 am, his neighbour Adil Mohammed informed him that a photo of him riding the scooter had been circulated on WhatsApp, falsely alleging he was carrying swords in both hands. Adil also shared a screenshot of the message via WhatsApp.
Suhail then checked Instagram and discovered a post on the account Karavali_tigers, featuring his photo with both hands highlighted. The post caption questioned the police and the Congress government for allegedly allowing individuals to roam freely while carrying deadly weapons.
Additionally, an audio clip in the Beary language was circulated along with the photo, warning people that a scooter had passed through Mijar towards Todar carrying “stones and swords,” and hinting at possible violence. The same photo and audio were also shared in a WhatsApp group named Ulaibettu 24/Breaking News.
Suhail alleges that the photo and video were misused to make false claims that could incite communal tensions and disturb public peace via platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram.
In a separate incident, Barke Police have registered a case against an Instagram account named beary-legend for posting a photo of Hindu activist Sharan Pumpwell along with provocative and false content.