Beware of fake news, conmen: Top cops

Hyderabad: As coronavirus scare is eventually growing, it is giving conmen a chance to thrive on the fears of gullible and elk out easy money from the innocent. The god men or babas are not new to denizens, as they are very often seen flaunting their magic or preaching fake godly sermons, but, this time, they have completely taken the fear of coronavirus to be in their stride.

Resident of Uppuguda, an IT Engineer in a private firm Anand Sharma said that, when he was walking back home after completing his shift, he was approached by two men who were clad in a kurta and lungi with some plates in their hands. He explained, "Both of them looked very weird and they stopped me to confront that the deadly virus is spreading in the city and the area in which I live is prone to the virus. In order to safeguard myself from the virus, they asked me to pay them Rs 2000 and purchase a lotion which can be applied on the body and I will be saved from coronavirus."

"I did not believe their words, but, as they found that I was disinterested in their story, they became aggressive and started following me as I started walking towards home. It was a horrific experience," narrated Anand.

It's being echoed by many leaders and officials not to fall prey to such voices, still, there are conmen who are on a prowl to fool people. In a similar incident, a person was booked in Chaitanyapuri police station for spreading false news in a local whatsapp group that three persons in their area have been infected with coronavirus. Police have booked a case against the person under section 54 of NDMA act and the hunt for him is on.

The Commissioners of Police of tri-commissionerate have time and again issued advisories for people, to not spread fake rumors, but, there are people who want to take an advantage of the situation to make out easy money, said S Janaki Reddy, Inspector of Chaitanyapuri. He noted, "We are taking stringent measures to curb the fake news and also the conmen who are planning to gain from the situation. Though we haven't arrested anyone so far, but as the cases have been booked, we are investigating and they will be arrested at the earliest."