MASANTOL -- The report about a serial killer roaming around the town is a hoax.
This was according to local authorities who belied the claims of a resident that a man is out murdering homeowners in one of the villages here.
On June 15, a netizen posted on her Facebook account that a mysterious man knocks at doors and asks for food before killing the owners of the house.
The netizen even posted photographs of alarmed residents and watchmen taking rounds alongside her Facebook post.
The said post already garnered over 1,200 reactions and was shared by more than 8,600 times by netizens, particularly those from Masantol and nearby Macabebe town who were alarmed by the information.
But personnel of Masantol Police Station, headed by Chief Inspector Nestor Bulatao, refuted the said information and asserted its falsity based from results of investigation.
“Nais po naming ipabatid sa ating mga cabalen na ang naturang Facebook post ay walang katotohanan. Wala pong katotohanan na may gumagala o pagala-galang mamamatay tao sa bayan ng Masantol, ito po ay hind natin pahihintulutan,” police said in a statement.
“Marahil ang nasabing maling balita ay tungkol sa ating cabalen na lalaki na palakad-lakad sa ating bayan at sa ibang karatig bayan na naglilimos sa bahay-bahay para may makain,” the statement added.
Police urged netizens to avoid spreading unverified reports and rather report to authorities the presence of suspicious looking people in their respective barangays.