A viral WhatsApp forward stating that the Indian army has set up a 1000-bed hospital facility for COVID-19 patients in Bengaluru is fake, a defence spokesperson has clarified.

"Bringing it to your notice that from today onward 1000 beds facility is initiated by Armed Forces w.e.f 0800 hrs today for admission of all confirmed Carona Patients, who need immediate hospitalisation," the viral message read.

However, a defence spokesperson clarified to TNM that the message is about a COVID-19 hospital opened last year at the Domestic Airport, Terminal 1 in Delhi and is not associated with Bengaluru. The message mischievously has been copy pasted from the last year but tweaked to mention "HAL Bangalore," read the clarification from the spokesperson.

The spokesperson requested that the message should not be forwarded as it was misinformation.

It suggested that the facility was a free service. "This state-of-the-art, 1000-bed Covid Care Hospital is very close to Domestic Airport T1. This facility is meant to extend a helping hand to all civilian brethren and ex-servicemen.  Everything is FREE. Manned by critical care specialists, pulmonologists, doctors and nursing officers of the Indian Armed Forces," read the message.

It also suggested that the facility was located next to Raksha Sampada Bhavan and that the patient needs to carry his/her Aadhaar card and a positive RT-PCR report for admission. It also listed down officers in charge of the facility and provided contact numbers of two officials, one of whom was supposedly from HAL in Bengaluru.

Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan has written to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asking for a 1000-bed COVID-19 treatment facility to be opened in Bengaluru by the armed forces. But such a facility is not yet established in Bengaluru.

Karnataka reported 48,296 COVID-19 cases on 30 April including 26,756 cases in Bengaluru on Friday. This is the highest single-day rise in cases reported in the state and its capital city since the onset of the pandemic.