The message was widely disseminated on other social media platforms, causing panic (representational)
Aizawl:
A 54-year-old man was arrested at Mizoram for allegedly spreading false information on social media platforms, police said on Wednesday.
The person circulated on WhatsApp Tuesday that two people who had tested COVID-19 escaped from a quarantine facility in the town of Lawngtlai, a police statement said.
It has been widely disseminated on other social media platforms, causing panic among people.
Following the development, a complaint was made by the Lawngtlai district task force on COVID-19, the statement said.
During the police investigation, it was found that there had been no such incident in the quarantine facility as claimed by the station, he added.
Upon investigation, police discovered that a resident of Chawngtlaipui village in the Lawngtlai district had downloaded the fake news from WhatsApp.
A criminal case was registered against the accused following which he was arrested on Wednesday and placed in pre-trial detention, according to the press release.
Meanwhile, police have warned people against posting unconfirmed news on social media, which could trigger panic.
The publication of false news is a very serious offense and can lead to legal action, according to the press release.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
