Using weapons for social media likes? Cops could come knocking

In recent cases, police have counselled young, minor offenders, or taken penal action against them, for acts like brandishing swords and posing with toy guns in social media videos

Flaunting weapons on social media can get you in trouble. In recent cases, young social media users found using weapons have either been arrested or warned against the act.

On Sunday, five children were rounded up by the Navghar police when a video showing one of the boys firing at another surfaced on social media. Cops were alerted as it was not known whether the weapon was real. Navghar police tracked down the children and found that the weapon was a toy gun. The police counselled the kids and warned their parents of dire consequences if they indulge in violent acts.

A youngster posing with a gun seen in an Instagram post

Last week, in Pune, two boys were arrested for putting up display pictures where they are posing with swords. The Pune Crime Branch registered one case each in Deccan and Faraskhana police stations and seized the swords.

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Action against violence

Pimpri-Chinchwad’s Commissioner of Police Krishna Prakash said, “Anyone brandishing a sharp weapon with a blade size exceeding nine inches or any firearm without a licence can attract provisions of the Arms Act. Any video that does not harm anyone is fine, but sometimes, if, prima facie, the video looks intimidating, we track down the creator to determine the reality. We advise youngsters not to indulge in such acts.”

Screenshot of a video shows children brandishing swords. They faced action by Ulhasnagar police

“There are instances where youngsters using weapons and upload videos on the internet. We make it clear that this is a crime under the Arms Act act and can lead to detention. As for the use of toy guns, we have to verify first if people are actually using those. But we would advise youngsters not to indulge in anything that might bring cops to their doorstep,” said a police officer.

Last week, a 22-year-old boy was booked by Bandra police for cutting his birthday cake with a sword. The video of the act went viral. A case was filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act. In another instance, on July 14, kids were seen brandishing swords while cutting a cake. The police detained two children from Ulhasnagar in the case.

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