Latest News | Man Arrested for Posting Fake News on WhatsApp
Get latest articles and stories on Latest News at LatestLY. A 54-year-old man has been arrested in Mizoram for allegedly spreading fake news on social media platforms, police said on Wednesday.
Aizawl, July 8 (PTI) A 54-year-old man has been arrested in Mizoram for allegedly spreading fake news on social media platforms, police said on Wednesday.
The person had circulated a piece of news on WhatsApp on Tuesday that two persons who had tested COVID-19 positive had escaped from a quarantine facility in Lawngtlai town, a police statement said.
It was widely circulated on other social media platforms causing panic among people.
Following the development, a complaint was lodged by Lawngtlai district task force on COVID-19, the statement said.
During police investigation, it was found there was no such incident in the quarantine facility as claimed in the post, it said.
On further investigation, the police found that a resident of Chawngtlaipui village in Lawngtlai district had uploaded the fake news on WhatsApp.
A criminal case was registered against the accused following which he was arrested on Wednesday and remanded to judicial custody, the statement said.
Meanwhile, the police has cautioned people against posting of unconfirmed news on social media which may trigger panic.
Posting of fake news is a very serious offence and can invite legal action, the statement said.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)