A case was registered against the owner of a furniture shop in Maharashtra’s Bhiwandi on Wednesday, 18 March, for issuing a misleading advertisement which claimed that the mattresses sold at his shop were resistant to COVID-19.
The accused, whose name was not disclosed by police, owns two furniture showrooms in Bhiwandi.
On 13 March, an advertisement ran in a Gujarati newspaper which implied that the “anti-coronavirus mattresses” sold at this particular store were ‘resistant’ to the novel coronavirus.
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Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajkumar Shinde said that a First Information Report (FIR) was registered on a complaint by the medical officer of Kharbhav Primary Health Centre under IPC section 505(2) (statements conducing to public mischief) as well as the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954.
When police questioned the shop owner, he could not produce any medical proof to back his advertisement, the DCP said.
No arrest has been made yet as investigation was in progress, he added.
Action will be taken against anyone spreading misinformation about the novel coronavirus in print, TV or any other media, DCP Shinde warned.
(With inputs from PTI)
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