The Cyberabad police have arrested a man for spreading fake news on social media that the Balanagar-Jeedimetla flyover in Hyderabad crashed, killing several people. The police later verified that the video is two years old and was shot when a flyover collapsed in Varanasi of Uttar Pradesh.
In that mishap in 2018, at least 18 people were killed and several others were injured.
The video went viral in WhatsApp groups and on other social media platforms. The video was accompanied by a description which urged the commuters to avoid Balanagar-Jeedimetla route claiming that the under construction flyover had collapsed.
Balanagar Police have arrested one person identified as Srinivas who is a travel agent for circulating the video without verifying it.
Balanagar Inspector speaking to TNM said, "We have arrested him for criminal intimidation and spreading false news, we have identified 17 more persons who circulated the video in the same manner."
The police said that they will book cases against people who spread such misinformation which creates panic among the people.
The official Twitter handles of Telangana Police and Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) have also clarified on the video circulation.
Telangana police have clarified the same by attaching a YouTube link of the original video while Cyberabad Police official Twitter handle ruled out the false news by attaching a screenshot of the news report that was published following the incident.
No sir, It's not belongs to Balangar-Hyderabad.
— Telangana State Police (@TelanganaCOPs) February 24, 2021
It's a two years old video of Varanasi. Please go through the link https://t.co/FmsslZNSSa
The six-lane two-way flyover (1,090 meters) is being constructed between Balanagar Crossroads and Narsapur Crossroads in Hyderabad under the Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP), to facilitate smooth flow of traffic on the Balanagar main road.
The project was inaugurated by Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD), KT Rama Rao in 2017. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 387 crore. Though the government claimed that it will be completed in 24 months, the project has missed deadlines owing to land acquisition and other issues.
The delay in construction is said to be causing traffic inconvenience to motorists due to the road being narrowed down. A recent report by The Hans India said that the flyover will be inaugurated on Ugadi in April. The report has quoted an official saying that the project will be completed by March and will be thrown open for public use in April.