Kolkata, March 28: The cyber crime cell of Kolkata Police on Friday arrested a woman for allegedly spreading fake news of the coronavirus outbreak in the city. The 29-year-old accused had posted that a doctor in Belighata contracted coronavirus while treating patients in a state-run hospital. She had also uploaded a fake page of a Bengali newspaper. However, it was fake news and no healthcare worker was infected with COVID-19. Five of Family Test Positive for COVID-19 in West Bengal.

The accused was identified as Chandrima Bhowmik. The woman is a singer and an actor in a theatre group. Ironically, she had written an awareness song and urged people not to pay attention to rumours and fake news, Hindustan Times reported. She was booked under section 66C of the informational technology act (punishment for identity theft) and relevant sections under the IPC for spreading fear. Coronavirus Outbreak Live News Updates on March 28.

"This is the first arrest made by the city police in connection with posting fake news and spreading rumours related to coronavirus,” a police officer told Hindustan Times. Earlier, a state health department official categorically said not a single doctor or health worker in the state has contracted the virus. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been warning citizens not to post fake news on social media.

On Friday, the number of coronavirus cases in West Bengal surged to 15 after five members of a family, including three children, tested positive for COVID-19. Among the five are a nine-month-old baby, a six-year-old girl, an 11-year-old boy, and two women aged 27 and 45. The 27-year-old woman had come in contact with a person from the UK who recently tested positive, according to officials.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 28, 2020 08:44 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).