'You will turn into stone' sms causes panic in UP, inquiry ordered

Lucknow: An sms that people who doze off will be turned to stones and a temblor is going to rock the state gave many in Uttar Pradesh a sleepless night, police said today.

The sms, sent by unidentified miscreants, sparked panic in several districts of the state last night, they said.

The Uttar Pradesh Police have ordered an inquiry and are on the lookout for the source of the rumour.

"An inquiry is being conducted into last night's rumour- mongering and action will be taken against those found guilty," Inspector General of Police G P Sharma told reporters here.

"As the rumour spread, officials did all that they could to quell the panic. People came out of their houses at midnight expecting an earthquake. We received numerous panic calls. We later convinced them the sms was a hoax," he said.

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