Ludhiana, Nov. 13 -- In a growing trend that has alarmed law enforcement, police officials say that several notorious gangs are falsely claiming responsibility for murders on social media to spread fear, stay in the limelight, and extort money from the public. Investigators revealed that a similar tactic was used in the recent the Manki village murder case.

On November 3, Gurwinder Singh alias Kinda, a resident of Samrala's Manki village, was shot dead by bike-borne assailants. Soon after the killing, a post surfaced on social media, allegedly uploaded by Anmol Bishnoi, brother of dreaded gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, claiming responsibility for the murder.

However, Khanna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Jyoti Yadav Bains said that a...