Wibs Bread Factories in Mumbai Sealed After A Case of Coronavirus? Fake WhatsApp Messages and Tweets Floating on Social Media, Here's the Truth!
A message has been going viral on social media which claims that Wibs bread factory has been sealed after a worker was tested positive for coronavirus. We found that the claims of the WIBS factory being sealed is fake news,
Mumbai, April 30: A message has been going viral on social media which claims that Wibs bread factory has been sealed after a worker was tested positive for coronavirus. The message is being widely shared on WhatsApp and on other social media channels like Twitter. People are extremely concerned after receiving the message and they have asked Mumbai Police and BMC to verify the claims. There are messages doing the rounds saying people must not eat Wibs bread.
We found that the claims of the WIBS factories in Mumbai being sealed is fake news, however, there has been no confirmation on whether a worker has been tested coronavirus positive. LatestLY contacted one of the WIBS bread factories and a worker at the factory confirmed that the factory is running and supply and distribution are working as usual. Wibs, Mumbai's Most Preferred Bread For Sandwiches, Returns to Stalls as Factories Resume Production.
According to an India Today report, Wibs has four factories in Mumbai and the owners have shut one after a worker showed symptoms of coronavirus infection. The other factories are operational. The report mentions that after one of the workers at the Dockyard factory showed symptoms of coronavirus, the factory was shut as a precautionary measure. All the other factories continue to operate normally and there is no problem in those places.
Here is the Fake WhatsApp Message:
Below is a screenshot of people getting worried after they received the fake WhatsApp forward:
There was another user on Twitter who pointed out that people are sharing the link of old news about Wibs factory being shut and, thus, creating more panic. In 2019, the manufacturing of Wibs bread, along with the honeybell cake, tutti frutti breads and 'pav' sold by the company, had stalled due to a family dispute among the company owners.
Wibs or Western India Bakers Private Limited, founded in 1973, is being run under a partnership module by the influential Irani family of Mumbai. It is one of the most popular breads in Maharastra. One of the brothers, Khodadad Irani, filed a lawsuit against brother-partner Shahriar Irani after the death of their elder brother Hoshang Irani in 2019, and therefore the factory was shut for some time. The latest WhatsApp forwards claiming that Wibs factories have been sealed, is, therefore, fake news. Only one of the factory has been shut as a precautionary measure, and the others continue to run normally.
Fact check
Wibs bread factory has been sealed after a worker was tested positive for coronavirus.
We contacted the WIBS bread factory and a worker confirmed the factory and supply are working as usual. The plant has not been sealed.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 01, 2020 07:59 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).