Panic gripped entire southern Punjab since the rumours of a 'supernatural' call on mobiles phones that kills the person receiving it by damaging the central nervous system and splattering the brain. These rumours swept the area like a wild fire. In Multan, these rumours have taken a new twist.
Many now believe that besides death, this mysterious call can also result in impotency in men who receive the call, while the women end up becoming pregnant. According to the rumours, the cause of this supernatural call is that some mobile phone companies have set up a tower at a graveyard, which enraged the spirits, causing them to wreak havoc among the mobile phone users.
These rumours are believed to have originated in Daska (Sialkot). According to the rumours the victim receives a call on his or her mobile phone in which a red-coloured apparition of a woman appears on the display screen. There have been claims in the upper Punjab that many deaths have taken place by unsuspecting cell phone owners.
Mrs Saeed Siddiqui and a youth of village "Laar" became unconscious when they listened to the call coming from 00919201234 and they were hospitalised but the doctors identified the cause to be extreme anxiety and phobia.
These rumours have sent a wave of fear among cell phone users in Multan, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan. Many people have stopped receiving calls or SMS messages from numbers they are not familiar with. "I got very scared after I heard these rumours and stopped using mobile phone," said Sheraz Bashir, a cameraman by occupation.
The significance of the impact of the rumours can be gauged by the fact that mobile phone companies have started issuing clarifications to ease the prevailing panic among their customers. SMS messages are being sent cautioning their well-wishers.
Some mosques in cities announced that people are dying of a mobile phone virus and that they should be wary of God's wrath. Local Urdu dailies have highlighted this news. Meanwhile, in Multan, Nishtar Hospital doctors treated two patients claiming to be infected by the "deadly phone virus" after listening to the phone calls on their cell phones. The patients said that they needed immediate medical attention.
Mrs Saeed Siddiqui of Altaf town, one of the patients, said, "While talking to a relative, I couldn't hear anything for a few moments I thought I was infected with the mobile phone virus."
Comments
Comments are closed.