Tamil Nadu school teacher held for fake information on COVID-19

A school teacher has been arrested on the charge of spreading false information on the spread of Coronavirus, police said on Saturday. On Friday, a WhatsApp message that went viral claimed that Thopputhurai village had many people who had participated in the Tablighi Jamaat Conference in Delhi and warned the public to boycott the village as the virus was spreading there.

As the false message created panic in the area, the Thopputhurai Muslim Jamaat lodged a complaint with the police. Upon investigation, the police found the fake message had originated from one K Vijayakumar (36) of nearby Thethakudi village.

He is working as a teacher in the Government Primary School here. Police have registered cases under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act and IPC Section 505(1)(b). Vijayakumar was arrested and remanded in judicial custody, the police said.