At least 251 offences were
registered by the Maharashtra police's cyber wing for rumours and misinformation spread on social media since the COVID-19 lockdown was imposed in the state on March 22, an official said on Tuesday.
Of these 251 cases, 112 were registered in connection with objectionable WhatsApp forwards, he said.
The state police's cyber wing, which monitors social media activities, observed that WhatsApp was the most popular medium used to circulate fake news, rumours and hate speeches, the official said.
At least 87 offences were related to fake news and rumour-mongering posts shared on Facebook, he said.
In a case of cyber crime registered at Dhule, an accused had written a post on Facebook alleging that a particular community was responsible for the coronavirus outbreak, thus spreading disharmony and hatred, the official said.
Similarly, in Pune Rural, two persons were booked for circulating an objectionable message related to the pandemic on WhatsApp, he added.
At least 50 persons were arrested for spreading rumours, misinformation, fake news and hate speeches since the lockdown was enforced on March 22 and over 31 objectionable posts were removed from social media platforms, he said.
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