Shanghai police nab man for online rumor mongering

A man has been detained by local police for allegedly spreading an online rumor which claimed a 50-year-old man severely bashed an 8-year-old boy over a bus seat.

Police found the 33-year-old man, surnamed Jiang, posted the rumor in a WeChat group that had more than 400 members on January 8. The post was later shared on local lifestyle website liba.com and went viral on Tuesday night. 

The post said a 50-year-old man and an 8-year-old boy were having an argument over a seat on bus route 104. It claimed the boy was severely injured after being beaten by the man, and that the boy's mother poked the man in the eye with something sharp.

After a thorough investigation, police found no such incident occurred. 

Jiang confessed to rumor mongering and said he did it to gain popularity.

Police are still investigating.