Child Abduction Scare (Gabon) – Dead Dog in Suitcase Legend – Child Abduction Scare (India)

http://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20200203-unfounded-rumours-abducted-children-cause-3-deaths-gabon

Radio France Internationale

3 Feb. 2020

Rumours of abducted children lead to killing of 3 people in Gabon

Three people have been attacked and killed in Gabon following unfounded rumours that school children were being abducted on their way to school. […]

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https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/epgvbn/dead-dog-suitcase-stolen-tube-bus-urban-legend-origins

VICE

3 Feb. 2020

This Is Why We Still Tell the 'Dead Dog in a Suitcase' Urban Legend

You know the one, about a thief stealing a suitcase with a dead dog inside it. But what does the spread of this story tell us about urban life?

by Issy Sampson

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It sometimes happens in India (and elsewhere) that bogus child abduction accusations are used to settle scores or, apparently in this case, avoid paying debts.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/1-dead-as-6-farmers-attacked-over-child-lifting-rumours-in-madhya-pradesh-2175573

NDTV [India]

5 February 2020

1 Dead As 6 Farmers Attacked Over Child Lifting Rumours In Madhya Pradesh

[…] The contractors returned Rs 1 lakh to the farmers and asked the farmers to come to Khirkiya village for getting the outstanding Rs 1.5 lakh. When the six farmers reached the Khirkiya village, they were attacked in a pre-planned manner by the contractors and aides," Dhar district police superintendent Aditya Pratap Singh said.  "The six farmers after being attacked with stones escaped in their vehicles from Khirkiya village, but when they reached Borlai village […] their cars got stuck in traffic jam. The accused who were chasing the fleeing farmers also reached the Borlai villages and spread the rumour that the six men were fleeing after lifting kids from Khirkiya village. Provoked by the rumour the mob of villagers attacked the six men in two cars with stones and rods," Mr Singh added. […]

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/indore/madhya-pradesh-one-killed-six-injured-over-child-lifting-rumour-in-dhar/articleshow/73967061.cms

Times of India

5 February 2020

One killed, six injured over child-lifting rumour in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar

https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2020/02/05/one-lynched-five-seriously-injured-on-abduction-rumours-in-mp-village.html

The Week [India]

5 February 2020

One lynched, five seriously injured on abduction rumours in MP village

Hit by a Bus = Free Tuition – Dog Theft Gang (UK) – Needle in Grape (Australia) – Attempted Mall Abduction (Ohio)

https://www.chronicle.com/article/If-You-Get-Hit-by-a-Bus-You/247283

The Chronicle of Higher Education

3 October 2019

If You Get Hit by a Bus, You Get Free Tuition. Wait, What?

[…] A pervasive myth found on campuses […] says that if you get hit by a bus, your university will give you free tuition. It’s a decades-old legend thriving like a weed in the crevices of college dorm rooms, dining halls, and libraries at colleges in Georgia, Ohio, Virginia — and just about everywhere else. In all of those cases, officials have roundly assured students that it’s just not true. Nonetheless, the college rumor mill keeps feeding the same myth. […]

https://twitter.com/heregoesthesun/status/1166720688956346368?lang=en

Miranda Sun, 28 August 2019: “Yesterday, I finally achieved what every single college student in America has dreamed of, yet can only hope will happen to them. That’s right. I got run over by a bus on campus.”

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https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/17949846.claims-dogs-stolen-tuckton-fake-say-police/

Daily Echo [Bournemouth, UK]

5 October 2019

Claims dogs are stolen from Tuckton are fake, say police

CLAIMS that dogs are being stolen by a gang in a Nissan van and used as bait are simply rumours, police say. Posters have gone up in Tuckton Gardens warning that dogs are being snatched from their owners. Reports have also circulated widely on social media that dogs have been stolen during walks at Hengistbury Head. […] One claims a ‘lady in a white Nissan van’ is using ‘two ropes’ to snare dogs. Others say the ‘gang’ are striking “all along the coastline from Hengistbury Head to Branksome, and probably all in-between”. […]

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https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/food-warnings/woman-claims-to-have-found-needle-in-grapes-bought-from-aldi-supermarket-in-melbournes-west/news-story/7f34d9009161626ee6a945472d601dfd

News.com.au [Australia]

7 October 2019

Woman claims to have found needle in grapes bought from Aldi supermarket in Melbourne’s west

A needle spiked through a grape has reportedly been found in a Victorian Aldi shop, weeks after similar suspected contamination of strawberries. Chloe Shaw posted to Facebook on Sunday that she had made the discovery and contacted the retailer and police. “Grapes I purchased today from ALDI Caroline Springs. Please check all your grapes before eating especially if your giving them to your kids,” she posted alongside two photos of a halved green grape with a metal spike inside. […]

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https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/human-trafficking/fairlawn-police-no-facts-to-support-human-trafficking-claims-at-mall/95-ca16346b-8dd7-474c-a39b-3ced2f204b1a

WKYC-TV [Cleveland, OH]

3 October 2019

Fairlawn Police: No facts to support human trafficking claims at mall

FAIRLAWN, Ohio — You may have seen similar stories circulating on social media about a mother confronting women at a mall who drugged and were trying to kidnap her daughter. The Fairlawn Police Department is sending a warning:  Be careful what you post. “She heard it from her husband’s co worker’s friend of a friend and a long list of other people that had told the story and that’s where she got her information,” says Officer Allison Ross. […]