Bolangir: Bolangir police Wednesday arrested three persons for spreading fake news pertaining to coronavirus on social media.
The arrested men have been identified as Satyananda Bhoi (30), Babul Mahakur (23) and Anoda Mahakur (27).
According to cops, the three used to peddle fake news by using the logo of a news channel.
The accused trio edited the logo of a news channel and used it in a manufactured news item that claimed that a girlchild hailing from Lathor panchayat in the district has tested positive for COVID-19.
They then forwarded the picture in the social media. As the picture went viral, it caused panic among the denizens of Bolangir town.
Local police started a probe and found that the miscreants were spreading the rumour. They were arrested subsequently.
Notably, Bolangir district comes under green zone in Odisha as no COVID-19 case has been reported from the district as of Wednesday evening.