There Are No Pocong Hauntings in Tangerang...

TANGERANG, Kompas.com – The hoax of pocong terror that had unsettled residents in the Cipondoh area of Tangerang City and across several points in Tangerang Regency has been confirmed as untrue. Police said the reports were hoaxes circulating on social media and have been proven to be manipulated. Cipondoh Police Sector head Yudha Prakoso emphasised that the information did not reflect the facts after field checks. He explained that posts depicting a figure resembling a pocong, alleged to be knocking on residents’ doors at night, were edited content. ‘According to confirmation, that information is edited,’ he said. Yudha also urged the public not to trust information circulating on social media without verification. ‘A clear warning to the public: if you find information on social media, check its validity before re-sharing to avoid being provoked,’ Yudha said. On the other hand, Tangerang City Police Chief, Kombes Pol Andi Muhammad Indra Waspada Amirullah, appreciated that the issue had spread widely and could be exploited for criminal purposes. He reminded the public not to panic about unverified information. ‘So do not easily believe information that has not been validated, and do not share news whose veracity is unclear,’ Indra said. The state of public panic could be exploited by criminals to carry out crimes. ‘Do not let the public become frightened and thus exploited to commit offences such as theft or robbery,’ he added.