Cops zeroing in on culprit behind fake message about multiple Covid-19 deaths in Melaka family

MELAKA: Melaka police are tracking down the culprit behind a fake viral message, claiming multiple Covid-19 deaths in the state.

Melaka Tengah OCPD Asst Comm Afzanizar Ahmad said the message, claiming that a family in Taman Merdeka here succumbed shortly after testing positive for the coronavirus, is a complete fabrication.

"Not only are my men battling the pandemic, they also have to debunk false and misleading messages in social media," he said in an interview here on Wednesday (May 26).

ACP Afzanizar said spreading false information about Covid-19 will only trigger panic and distress among the public.

"We will go after those spreading conspiracy theories and fake news.

"It's the last thing we need in the face of this health crisis," he added.

A 20-second video showing men in personal protective equipment taking a body out of a house claims that the whole family, supposedly from Taman Merdeka, died right after they tested positive for Covid-19, even before they could be taken to a quarantine centre.

However, it is short on details like the number of casualties.