THE Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) has started its investigation on a viral social media post of a man allegedly kidnapped across the street near a Cebu City university on N. Bacalso Avenue last Monday night, August 22.According to Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for administration of the CCPO, they were able to contact the post’s author, Nelson Tagra, a habal-habal driver.Parilla said Tagra insisted that he witnessed the incident, albeit he had no proof.Tagra told police he was looking for passengers in the area when he stopped by a man by the side of the road. He asked the man if he wanted a ride, but the latter refused.Tagra said he drove a few meters farther when a white car suddenly arrived. Two armed men alighted and forced the man to get in the car.He said he tailed the car, but one of the men warned him not to follow.Tagra said the car turned left on V. Rama Ave., heading for Barangay Guadalupe.He said he approached a patrol car in the vicinity and told the police officers about what he saw.He said the patrol car gave chase but the police officers didn’t see the white car.The City Investigation and Detective Management Section said the area where the man was allegedly kidnapped had no security cameras so it couldn’t verify Tagra’s story.Because of the lack of evidence, police said they will consider the incident as a mere allegation. However, they will continue to look into it, Parilla said.Parilla said none of the police stations in the city reported a kidnapping on Monday night.“There were no footages of the alleged kidnapped. No relative has come forward to report a kidnapping. There was no kidnapping incident that was recorded on the blotter that night,” he said in Cebuano.Parilla said they already turned over the matter to the legal department of the Police Regional Office 7 to determine Tagra’s liability for posting the alleged incident on social media.The police official admitted that the post alarmed many parents, especially since it coincided with the first day of face-to-face classes in public elementary and high schools.Such posts will also have an impact on the tourism industry as tourists might deem Cebu an unsafe destination even if the reports are false, he said.“It can affect the economy that is still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic and the ravages of Typhoon Odette last December. Many people called our office to confirm if the reports were true because they were really scared,” Parilla said in Cebuano.The CCPO has urged the public to refrain from posting alarming posts or sharing alarming posts that have no basis, which might ruin the city’s reputation. (AYB, PJB)