Two arrested from Navi Mumbai for posting fake messages

The police said that the two have been booked under various sections of Indian Penal Code for rumour mongering and public mischief along with violations of the lockdown.

Two men were arrested from Kamothe for posting fake messages on social media that they are stranded without food. One of the men had stocked up his house with ration, said the police.

An aerial view of Worli area during the nationwide lockdown, imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus, in Mumbai, Wednesday, April 8, 2020. (PTI)

“The men were getting grocery on time. However, they uploaded fake news on the social media. They have been remanded in five-day police custody,” said Ashok Dudhe, deputy commissioner of police, zone 2.

The police said that the two Sajid Ansari, 45, and Kamlesh Dubey, 26, have been booked under various sections of Indian Penal Code for rumour mongering and public mischief along with violations of the lockdown.

Ansari is a daily wage earner. Dubey claims to work for a social organisation.

“When we visited their houses at a chawl in Kamothe, we found they had stocked up food and groceries,” said Babasaheb Tupe, senior inspector at Kamothe police station.

The police seized Dubey’s phone and found photos of him posing with the needy while distributing food grains and food packets.