Imagine waking up to the news of your own death. From a WhatsApp message no less! Forty-three-year-old Ravindra Dusange, a Mumbai-based media professional, was on a family vacation at his in-laws last weekend, when out of the blue, he started receiving condolence messages over WhatsApp.
Dusange who initially ignored the texts was left horrified after they continued to pour in for the next few days. His brother forwarded him a WhatsApp message saying that Dusange had passed away, which had reportedly gone viral. The text included his picture taken from his Facebook account.
His family, so far, has received 400 messages and calls leaving him worried that the fake news could reach his ailing mother. Though the Dahisar Police have taken a written complaint from him, Dusange claims that the cops were not taking his case very seriously as the messages were still being circulated across groups.
The media professional, who is having a hard time convincing his well-wishers that he is alive and kicking, suspects the hand of an acquaintance behind this incident. Dusange has even told the police about it. "I tried calling the suspect but he hung up," he said.
Experts say that earlier such cases could have been tried under section 66A of the IT Act which has now been struck down by the Supreme Court.