PUEBLA: Two men were dragged out of a jail cell and burned alive by a cheering mob as rumours of child abductors spread rapidly on WhatsApp.
The message talked of a “plague of child kidnappers” and three children, aged four, eight and 14, had been found murdered, reported Daily Mirror.
It claimed the criminals were involved in organ trafficking, as the children were found with their abdomens sliced open and their organs removed.
But the two men – an uncle and his nephew – who were set upon by a mob of villagers were falsely accused after they were spotted near an elementary school.
Distressing footage shows the pair being beaten and then set on fire outside a police station, as the mother of one of the men watched on a Facebook live steam.
Ricardo Flores, a 21-year-old law student, and his uncle Alberto Flores, a 43-year-old farmer, were taken into police custody for “disturbing the peace” after they were accosted by locals in San Vicente Boqueron, Mexico, on August 29.
The innocent pair was buying construction supplies for a water well when they were targeted amid the WhatsApp rumours, BBC reported.
The message that was shared by villagers read: “Please everyone be alert because a plague of child kidnappers has entered the country. It appears that these criminals are involved in organ trafficking.
“In the past few days, children aged four, eight and 14 have disappeared and some of these kids have been found dead with signs that their organs were removed. Their abdomens had been cut open and were empty.”
The arrest fuelled rumours on social media and sparked outrage.
An angry mob welcomed the men when they were taken to the municipal police station in Acatlan de Osorio.
Police officers assured the crowd that the men had not abducted any children, but the mob was unconvinced.
The angry horde broke into the cell, dragged the men out and battered them as they were hauled outside.
The group poured petrol on their bodies then set them alight as a crowd of about 150 people cheered and applauded the sick act.
By then, Ricardo’s mother Guadalupe had been alerted that he and his uncle had been falsely accused.
Frantically, she posted a comment on a live stream which read: “Please don’t hurt them, don’t kill them, they’re not child kidnappers.”
She watched in horror as the men were killed.
In the aftermath, the state of Puebla’s attorney general announced that the rumours were not true and the case was being treated as murder.
State authorities said five people have been charged with instigating the double killing, and four others with carrying out the murder.
A spokesperson for Facebook-owned WhatsApp said, “WhatsApp cares deeply about the safety of our users. We believe the challenge of mob violence requires action from technology companies, civil society, and governments, it’s why we now notify users when they receive forwarded messages and placed limits on how they can be sent.
“In addition, we’ve stepped up user education about misinformation and have provided trainings for law enforcement on how to use WhatsApp as a resource in their community.”
It was the third time in about four months a lynch mob had burned suspected criminals to death in Puebla State.
In April, four people accused of trying to steal a tractor were lynched. Two had been shot dead and two others had been set on fire.
Days later, a suspected thief died after he was set on fire.
