Infallible Indian journalists have been spooked by a delightful Da Vinci Code style hoax played on them.
On Sunday, almost every newspaper reported the arrest of Johann Bach, an 88-year-old Nazi war criminal, in the jungles of Khanapur, close to Goa, on Saturday.
A classified advertisement inserted by the “Waffen SS” fugitive to sell an 18th century piano was supposed to have led Perus Narkp detectives to the “senior adjutant” who reportedly had a role in the “extermination” of 12,000 Jews at the Marsha Tikash Whanaab concentration camp in East Berlin.
Bangalore based newspapers went to town with the news:
# “Hitler’s stormtrooper held in Karnataka,” headlined Deccan Herald.
# “World War II criminal arrested?” asked The Hindu
# “Cops stunned over Nazi man’s arrest,” said The Times of India
# “Antique piano ad leads police to Nazi colonel near Belgaum,” said the New Indian Express.
On Monday, the up-country papers went a step further.
# “Traced to Goa, Nazi war criminal tried to enter Karnataka, arrested on way and flown to Berlin,” said The Indian Express, Delhi
# “Goa piano ‘thief’ found to be Nazi war fugitive,” said The Telegraph, Calcutta, with a helpful graphic (above) of the flight of the Nazi criminal.
Wanted by Interpol, octagenarian Bach, it was reported, had escaped the Nuremberg trials and evaded justice for over half a century. On the German government’s “Most wanted list” since the end of WW II, he had spent time in Argentina, Bulgaria, Yemen and Canada.
Apparently, the Israeli media had reported his sighting in Calungute, Goa, though V.S. Acharya, Karnataka’s home minister, denied any knowledge. Hemant Nimbalkar, Belgaum superintendent of police, said he was unaware of the incident.
But the papers said Bach had been picked up by detectives of Perus Narkp who are part of the German chancellor’s “Core” team in collaboration with Indian intelligence.
Anil Budur Lulla of The Telegraph “exclusively” reported that “Berlin also had information from Tel Aviv that an old German had bragged about overseeing the genocide of Jews to an Israeli tourist couple in Goa during a rave party a few months ago.”
Deccan Herald quoted a press release issued by “Perus Narkp”. Times of India said the press note was circulated by email. DH had this telling line: “A brilliant musician like his illustrious 18th Century namesake, this eccentric Bach later rose high in the Nazi SS hierarchy.”
The Telegraph, quoting “sources”, said that “after further investigations in Goa, proceedings would begin to take Bach to Germany, with whom India signed an extradition treaty in 2004.” Deccan Herald said he would “be facing trial at the International Court of Justice at The Hague.”
And on and on it went.
Well, it turns out, it was all a super prank, obviously played by someone with some taste in western classical music.
churumuri bravely deduces that it was played/devised by someone called Bhawana Shakti Sharma or by someone who knows someone called Bhawana Shakti Sharma, because it is an anagram of “Marsha Tikashi Whanaab”. “Bach” is obviously a bastardisation of Johann Sebastian Bach, with the piano thrown in for good measure. “Perus Narkp” is an anagram of “Super Prank“.
Considering that the story has Goa as its epicentre, churumuri also sticks its neck out to declare that the “super prank” was played by a Goan/ Goans who have had their axe for their local media for some time now. Indeed, one Goan blog says “The Truth Behind Perus Narkp” will be revealed tomorrow with the teasing tagline: “One of the most telling stories on the Goan as well as Indian media.”
Why the prank was played, is a long story.
Maybe to show how gullible journalists have become in this age of instant news and even more instant analysis. Maybe to show how little research and background checking goes into modern-day reporting populated by greenhorns barely out of their teens. Maybe to show what a bunch of cultural ignoramuses we are, with scarcely any knowledge of music, Indian or western.
Or maybe to show how smart the prankster is.
Whatever the reason, it’s a lovely prank for which all of us fell. We have been had. Lie back and enjoy—and spare a thought for those stung by us.
Cross-posted on sans serif
Belgaum SP is Hemanth Nimbalkar I think, not Harish Nimbalkar
A Prank Indeed!!! May not be so for the Jews in India.
I read the news but wondered why the western media did not report on the story. Should have got a clue then!
This is indeed hilarious! Poor media!
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Brilliant!!! If the prank is true.
Wonder if the same newspapers will report the prank.
http://blogs.reuters.com/india/2008/06/30/indian-newspapers-fall-for-baroque-nazi-war-criminal-hoax/
And I wonder if the prank will be “breaking news” on any channel
Absolute disgrace……shows the state of Indian Media. Always craving for sensationalism….. Hope they learn something from this……
And not just Indian newspapers…
http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/109266.html
brilliant indeed! im just glad i got the real scoop in time. i’ve been mentioning it to just about anyone who would listen the whole day..
Hilarious! How gullible must be these journalists to fall for such a prank. Where is the home work? They take some email from unknown source and published it without any verification?
What is more funny is how Kannadapraba has back pedalled on this issue. Read their Editorial note on the issue today – I could not stop laughing.
Anyone who has followed fall and decline of Indian media should not be really surprised though. Kudos to prankster!
And Goans is an anagram of “Gas on”… :-)
Great work!
What is there to bravely deduce, Churumuri? Unless that is in sarcasm, I dont get the valour behind this expose`
Pen Pricks should be awarded with Ignobel’s equivalent of The Pulitzer Prize! :D
I bet this will find an inch space in
PR Manager’sReaders’ Editor’s column or a thorough dissection detailing how The Telegraph, TOI were more sensationalist in their reporting this matter by Sevanti Ninan.VK even had a photo of Bach!!!
I thought there was something fishy about the piano – I mean, it would have been quite difficult to lug around a piano to all those places, even if a transport company was working for you. Should serve as an eye opener for journos though.The rest of us are enjoying this good joke – ‘break’ing news, indeed!
Hahaha…holy shit!…
I know shit happens in life, but this one is deep shit. Especially for the exclusive guy at “The Telegraph” and the telltale reporter/editor at “DH”.
“Rave Party” and Not Synagogue, eh?…”Brilliant Musician” in the likes of Mozart, huh? :)
I also like the other prank which appeared in TOI Delhi edition: A few school kids paid up and got their Principal’s obituary published…That man woke up next morning to find himself dead previous day :)
Failed editors and disgruntled staffers should start a journalism school together. Otherwise, who’ll take their views seriously while they sit on the high perch of a moral bog, shit, sorry, blog!
a sting for the stinkers
In its eagerness to declare the media personnel, who reported on the arrest of the Nazi fugitive, as ignoramuses, Churumuri has completely ignored Karnataka Intelligence chief Shankar Bidri’s confirmation about the arrest appearing in a section of the press.
What say you Churumuri??
http://svaradarajan.blogspot.com/2008/06/story-too-good-to-check.html
Siddarth Varadarajan on this issue. :D
I think journalists will be reloading Pen Pricks blog every second, hope they make lots of money through the ads, they deserve every bit of it.
Atleast the Indian media has some international company when it comes to falling for hoaxes, the esteemed BBC for ex.. The recent “uncontacted amazon tribe”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7426869.stm
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/06/23/controversy-around-u.html
Interestingly today churmuri favorite newspaper Calcutta Telegraph tries to play innocent without actually owning up to its error
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080701/jsp/nation/story_9487179.jsp
Reminds me of the story on the Kargil Hero from Mysore splashed on page I of the TOI. The story waxed eloquent about his brave deeds as a crew member of the tanks which “wreaked havoc” on the enemies. The hero was promptly felicitated by the residents of the area following the report and this news item was carried in full by the TOI correspondent. Apparently it did not occur to him that tanks are not deployed in hilly terrains in the Himalayan heights of Kargil, Drass etc !
But two retired Major Generals settled in Mysore sniffed a hoax and unearthed the truth. The “hero” in question was a cook who was on leave or dismissed (can’t remember exactly) and was not associated with any battle-field exploits. The other newspapers which “missed” the original story promptly reported the hoax while the TOI was silent on it.
But why blame Indian journalists as lacking in professionalism. The BBC sometime ago interviewed a “computer expert” who turned out to be one of the taxi drivers waiting for an interview to fill in some sundry vacancy. Perhaps to err is human…..
Absolutely hilarious!
:)
Super!!
The prankster in me loved it
@ bakedgrainappa
where did you pick that Harish Nimbalkar thing ?
It was a wonderful lesson in the basics of journalism, for which we should thank the perpetrators of the hoax. Congratulations, and well done.
I can take a little comfort in the fact that I was not in town and didn’t see the story, but perhaps I would have been suckered too. It’s a tough call: do you leave a juicy story and see it in all the other papers next day? Or do you trust your reporters sources and run with it?
I think even the Brave deduction by Churumuri that the person’s name is Bhawana Shakti Sharma is also unfounded. I think Bhawana Shakti Shrama meaning “effort of imagination power” is also an anagram and makes more sense.
Andy,
That’s been fixed.
Desi Homosapien Says: >>>
Shankar Bidri is a joker and publicity hungry – so we went by what media was saying!! I have watched him since Veerappan days – he is good in taking credit for others work and keeping media happy.
I am scared that we have people like Bidri in important position…if he is the example of how Intellgicence department is run then god save us..
It is Mr.Hemanth Nimbalkar and not Harish Nimbalkar
In 1997 or 1998, Cricinfo published an article on April 1 “revealing” a scientific study done by a Prof. Loof Lirpa on the secrets of Warne’s bowling. The article was replete with aerodynamics of spin etc. A day later, the Bangalore edition of Asian Age copied the article verbatim (unattributed) and published it as an exclusive on its front page. I called up the journo whose name was on the byline. My conversation went thus:
Me: “Sir, do you realize that the article in Cricinfo was a hoax?”
Journo (brashly); “How do you know?”
Me: ” Well, it is dated April 1 and Prof. Loof Lirpa is April Fool spelt backwards”
Journo: ….silent…then hangs up…
I sent an email to M. J. Akbar complaining about the above report and cc-ed the Editor of Cricinfo. There was no reply from Mr. Akbar. The editor of Cricinfo thanked me and enjoyed the whole episode.
Cool :)
Atleast now journos will realize their capability ;)
churumuri,
I dare you to come up with a prank like this.
Thank God they didn’t use Muslim names for the prank. Imagine….what would have happened if they had used Muslim names…!
wow that’s a really great mystery unfolding. but how come u deduced that there may b someone called bhavana shakti sharma behind the prank.
The journo who reported the item deserves a big award!!!
I think it’s not “Bhawana Shakti Sharma”, but “Shakti Bhawana Asharm”… Name of the “Concentraion Camp” is anagram of Shakti Bhawana Asharm… Geddit? :) Kudos to penprix or whoever did it…
@ T Azeez Luthfullah Says:
>> 2 July 2008 at 6:20 pm
>> Thank God they didn’t use Muslim names for the prank.
>> Imagine….what >> would have happened if they had used Muslim
>> names…!
IF A DANISH CARTOONIST CARICATURES, BANGALORE CITY MARKET BURNS AFTER FRIDAY PRAYERS. IF AFGHAN OR IRAQ GETS BOMBED BY GEORGE BUSH OUR BMTC BUSES ARE DAMAGED.
HOW CAN YOU EXPECT PEOPLE TO USE YOUR NAMES FOR THE PRANK, UNLESS DECIDED TO INITIATE A RIOT?