Ajman: Ajman Police are advising social media users that pranks which cause authorities to use a great deal of resources to investigate will be dealt with to the full extend of the law.
The warning comes after police investigated what they first believed was a suicide threat made online through twitter by a desperate 19-year-old man.
Police said on Wednesday the teen tweeted that he wanted to end his life and asked his friends and followers to suggest the method which he could use.
Police were tipped off about the tweet and responded immediately.
Police reached the young man and later summoned him as well as his father to the police station for questioning.
During the interview, police were not amused when they soon learnt that the youth was only joking around with his twitter followers and that his threats were not real.
However, police said the tweet created panic among his friends who pleaded with him online not to do anything stupid.
Lieutenant Ahmad Abdullah Al Ajmani, director of the Media and Public Relations Department of Ajman Police, confirmed that police dealt with the incident seriously.
“It has been made clear to the young man and his father that such tweets are taken seriously by the authorities concerned and they would move immediately to save his life,” said Lt Al Ajmani, “which costs time and effort”.
No charges were pressed against the teen but police said they took a legal pledge from the teen to stay out of any further trouble or face serious legal ramifications if police are called to visit him again for his behaviour.
Lt Al Ajmani, meanwhile, said teen suicide is an extremely serious issue and urged parents to observe their children for any sudden swings in mood or change in behaviour that seems out of character and monitor their social media accounts.
