With Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa continuing to remain in hospital, rumours on social media are showing no signs of stopping. Two more people from Tamil Nadu were arrested by the Chennai Crime Branch Police on Thursday for allegedly spreading rumours about Jayalalithaa’s health.
A case of spreading rumour with intent to cause riots has been registered against them.
Thirumani Selvam, a bank official from Thoothukudi was arrested by the Crime Branch police for spreading false rumors about Jayalalithaa’s health on Facebook.
Another man Balasundaram from Pammal was arrested by police for spreading false rumors about Jayalalithaa’s health.
On October 10. Satish Kumar, a software engineer hailing from Namakkal, working at a private company was arrested for creating and sharing a Facebook post regarding Jayalalithaa’s health.
Police had also arrested another man, Madasamy for uploading a fake audio recording of an Apollo Hospital staff speaking about Jayalalithaa’s health onto his website. He studied ITI AC mechanics and was working in Madurai.
In total, more than 50 cases have been registered against people for spreading rumours on social media. A press release states that the police is investigating the cases and the culprits will be punished.
Police have also warned the public not to share any false information about Jayalalithaa's health and doing so could lead to imprisonment of up to seven years.