A youth of Malaspadar village under the Mohana police station in Gajapati district was arrested for allegedly spreading false information over coronavirus on social media on Friday.
The accused was identified as Surya Pradhan.
Police said Pradhan posted in his Facebook account that a person from Betarsingh village under Mohana block had tested positive for coronavirus infection, which triggered panic among locals.
On verification, it was found that the information posted by Pradhan was completely fake and false, police added. Earlier, nearly half-a-dozen persons from different parts of the State were arrested for rumour- mongering in the last 10 days. Meanwhile, the State Government urged the people not to be panic over any fake news and stay calm. It also appealed people to follow the official updates provided by the administration in connection to corona virus.
In another incident, police on Thursday arrested a youth after registering a case for allegedly spreading misinformation about deadly COVID-19 in Raighar area of Nabarangpur district.
The accused, Mithun Haldar from Bharasundi DNK village was forwarded to court following his arrest, said a police official.
As per reports, Mithun shot a video of a mutton meat shop of his village and spread wrong information on WhatsApp and other social media platforms saying that coronavirus has infected goats in the area. After the video was circulated on WhatsApp groups and social media, many condemned the matter.
When police came across the video, they launched a probe. Following an inquiry, it was found that Mithun had circulated the video on social media.