THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A fake message, widely circulated on the social media saying that Rajya Sabha member and Janata Dal (United) leader M. P. Veerendrakumar died has been traced to have orginated from a Malappuram-based Whatsapp group. The police hi-tech crime enquiry cell probed into the matter after a staffer of Mr Veerendrakumar sought a probe into the fake screenshot of a television channel flashing news of Veerendrakumar’s death.
The hi-tech cell identified the source by retracing the viral path by which it spread. “Our information is that it originated from a Whatsapp group named Kizhissery group. Most of the members of the group were hailing from Malappuram. The one who posted it in the group however maintained that he got it from Facebook. But we could not trace such an image in the Facebook yet,” police soueces said. The hi-tech cell had contacted the administrators of over 50 groups to trace the source. A good number of groups were that of NRKs. A case is likey to registered in this regard for detailed invstigation, said sources.
