Meticulous Wiki hoax

MUMBAI: It went undetected for five years on Wikipedia, but now a seemingly meticulous entry about a 17th century conflict between colonial Portugal and India’s Maratha empire has been exposed as a hoax.

“The Bicholim Conflict” of 1640-41, described in detail in the online piece assessed as a “good article”, has been unearthed not as an episode of Goan history, but a tale by a mischievous user.

Added to the site in July 2007, the entry was only uncovered as a lie by an eagleeyed user in December.

“After careful consideration and some research, I have come to the conclusion that this article is a hoax – a clever and elaborate hoax,” wrote user “ShelfSkewed”, who found the sources cited also did not exist.

The fantasy conflict has been added to Wikipedia’s list of hoaxes that have dogged the site since it was founded in 2001 – Sapa-AFP