Fact Check

Death because of an explosion caused by a phone call from a 13-digit number? What is the truth?

Claim

Hi friends, it is a new trend in Tamil Nadu now. Mobile phones explode if you receive calls from 13-digit or 6-digit numbers. This happened for 27 people in Tuticorin. I have received a forward message. Similarly, a friend from Chennai has sent an audio note and friends from Singapore too have shared the same. Share as much as possible.

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Explanation

Social media posts and a 30-second WhatsApp video clip with a picture of a person lying dead in a pool of blood claiming that the incident was because of the explosion caused by receiving a call from a 13-digit or 6-digit number is viral now.

We have ignored posting the video since the person is lying dead in a pool of blood. We were asked to check the authenticity of this claim.

What is the truth?

A shop’s glass written as “Amma Public eService Centre” in Tamil in the colour of ADMK flag is seen near the lying dead person. Hence, we checked for the details of ADMK people died or if someone has died in the ADMK office.

We found news that an ADMK member was slaughtered with scythe by unknown people in the ADMK public eService centre in Karungalpalayam, Erode. This news was available on the ‘updatenews360’ website dated 3rd August.

We have received a picture of the person claimed as dead due to the phone explosion from our readers. It is the same person who was hacked to death in Erode.

It is on 3rd August Dinathanthi news with the picture of person died in Erode with a caption “Finance company owner was hacked to death with a scythe in Erode, and Police is searching for the accused”.

Rumour has it that mobile phones explode if a call from a 13-digit number is received. This is doing rounds on social media for the last few years. The same rumour was spread with different pictures in 2018.

Conclusion

We found that it is a WhatsApp rumour that receiving calls from 13 or 6-digit numbers would cause mobile phones to explode. The person who claimed to be died due to the phone explosion was slaughtered in Erode and has no links with the phone explosion.

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