Mob kills 2 in Mexico based on fake news

The BBC recently reported on an unfortunate incident that transpired in the small town of Acatlán in the central Mexican state of Puebla. The incident in question occoured on the 29th of August and claimed the lives of 2 innocent individuals. 21-year-old Ricardo Flores and his uncle Alberto Flores, a 43-year-old farmer who had lived for decades in a small community just outside Acatlán died in this unfortunate incident after false rumors were spread among the small community that they were child kidnappers and organ traffickers. The duo was arrested by the Police for the false accusation, however, a mob of area residents stirred by a fake new spread through Whatsapp and Facebook decided to take the law into their own hands and become judge, jury, and executioner. The mob that gathered outside the local police station stormed into the station and dragged out the two innocent civilians and began to beat them savagely. The BBC reports that the 23-year-old died due to the beating but that his uncle was still alive after the beating. The mob did not stop there, they doused both individuals in petrol and set them on fire, literally burning a  living man to death. According to the police, one of the instigators of the fake news and the mob has been identified as Francisco Martinez, a long-time resident of Acatlán known as "El Tecuanito." He had been live-streaming events that transpired on the doorsteps of the local police station on Facebook via his phone. According to state authorities, five people have now been charged with instigating the crime and four more with carrying out the murder. Martinez, who broadcast the live stream, was among the five. But the remaining two alleged instigators and the four suspects charged with the murder were on the run, police said. This is a clear example of the dangers of trusting rumors and fake news delivered to you by unreliable sources. With Sri Lanka going through a constitutional crisis and uncertainty on what is happening around you, this is the time to be extra vigilant of rumors and fake news as your actions based on false rumors could end up causing a similar calamity.