Noida police register case over fake video of fire in Sector 119 high-rise

The Noida Police has registered a case against unidentified people for circulating a fake video on social media showing a massive fire following an air-conditioner blast in a high-rise residential building in Sector 119, officials said on Monday

The Noida Police has registered a case against unidentified people for circulating a fake video on social media showing a massive fire following an air-conditioner blast in a high-rise residential building in Sector 119, officials said on Monday.

The “misleading” video appeared to show a massive explosion involving an air conditioner blast in a residential society. (HT Archive)

The “misleading” video appeared to show a massive explosion involving an air conditioner blast in a residential society.

On Monday, in a statement, the Noida police, however, sought to clarify that no such incident had taken place in Sector 119. “Police officials are present at the scene of the incident. The information (in the video) is completely false, misleading and baseless. Strict legal action is being taken by registering a case under relevant sections against the person who created and posted the misleading news,” the statement said.

Vivek Ranjan Rai, assistant commissioner of police (cyber), said, “The video is misleading and fake, following which a case has been registered under the IT Act for spreading fake news. As of now, we have not arrested anyone. We are still investigating who is spreading this misinformation and who is behind these accounts.”

The purported video surfaced amid reports of multiple actual fire incidents across Noida and Greater Noida on Diwali night.

The Gautam Budh Nagar fire department received 58 reports of fire incidents that night, fire officials said. No casualties or injuries were reported, as the fires were minor and were quickly brought under control, officials said.

In the statement, police also appealed to the public not to circulate unverified messages on social media and to verify the authenticity of information before sharing it.