Thiruvananthapuram, August 13: Taking action on fake social media campaigns over relief work in Kerala floods, the state police on Monday, August 12, registered 19 cases. The police said that various cyber wings of the department identified the fake campaigns and started a probe. The accused will be arrested and proceeded against as per the law, said State Police Chief Loknath Behera to The New Minute. Kerala Floods: Death Toll Rises to 88, Malappuram Worst Hit; IMD Predicts More Rainfall.

This comes after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday firmly spoke against propaganda aimed at preventing people from contributing to the Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF), reported The News Minute. "Circulating wrong messages has affected the rescue operations and discouraged people from taking appropriate decisions. A combined effort is needed to prevent rumours and fake news through social media,” the CM said.

Volunteers across the state alleged that the circulation of misinformation about donations not reaching to the relief camps has majorly affected the collection at various collection centres.

Meanwhile, heavy rainfall and floods have battered Kerala for last one week. The calamity has left 88 people dead and over 2.8 lakh people are sheltered at 1,654 relief camps. Wayanad and Malappuram districts are the worst hit.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 13, 2019 03:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).