(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –A 28-year-old man has been arrested for publishing fake news on social media claiming that many people were found dead on the roads in Sri Lanka due to the coronavirus.
Police Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said that among the total coronavirus death toll of 56 only one person was found dead on the road as he was a beggar without shelter.
The news article which says health authorities are unable to contain the spread of the virus and have failed in their duties is fake and contains false facts, he explained.
One suspect had been arrested in Kadugannawa in connection to the fake news and was remanded till 18th November 2020.
DIG Ajith Rohana said that the Computer Forensic Team of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) have traced another suspect with links to the fake news.
The 28-year-old was arrested in Hanthana yesterday and will be produced in the Kandy Magistrate’s Court today.
The Police Spokesman said that the CID is conducting further investigations into the matter and has identified three more suspects in connection to the fake news article.
The whereabouts of the suspects have been traced, while measures will be taken to arrest the suspects in the coming days and produce them in court, he said.
DIG Ajith Rohana further urged the public not to believe unverified news, adding that those who share such fake news articles via social media will be deemed as a suspect of a criminal case.
