Police Arrest Corona Virus Hoax Spreader In Balikpapan

Equipment for handling people infected with the corona virus at Soekarno-Hatta Airport (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - The East Kalimantan Regional Police have arrested two people who spread fake news or hoaxes about the corona virus outbreak. They uploaded a narrative on their social media accounts, which said that the corona virus had spread in the Balikpapan area.

"Because the person concerned posted on his Facebook account that there was or had a patient infected with the corona virus at Kanujoso Djatiwibowo Hospital in Balikpapan," said Karo Penmas DivHumas Polri Brigadier General Argo Yuwono in Jakarta, Tuesday, February 4.

In the suspects' uploads, an appeal was also written for Balikpapan residents to wear masks while on the move so they would not be infected with the virus. The upload went viral and made Balikpapan residents nervous.

"This could be unsettling and then the investigating team of the East Kalimantan Regional Police conducted an investigation and finally found the two perpetrators," said Argo.

Karo Penmas DivHumas Polri Brigjen Argo Yuwono (Rizky Adytia Pramana / VOI)

Head of Public Relations of the East Kalimantan Regional Police, Kombes Pol Ade Yaya Suryana, said the chronology of the spread of hoaxes began when KR and his brother talked about the Corona virus. Then, the brother of KR said that there had been a patient who had contracted the corona virus.

So, without hearing the explanation and confirming it with the related parties, KR immediately uploaded the information to social media.

Meanwhile, the suspect, FB, played a role as the one who continued the post so that it was busy being discussed.

"They spread the Corona virus hoax information via Facebook, then spread it to other Facebook groups," said Ade.

For their actions, they were charged with Article 14 paragraph 2 and / or article 15 of law number 1 of 1946 concerning false information with a maximum penalty of 7 years in prison.

Previously, Kominfo Minister Jhonny G Plate said, based on data up to February 3, 2020, his party had found 54 lists of false information, which were distributed directly through social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp instant messages. As a result, not a few people are consumed by this information and pass it on to others, also causing excessive concern.

"Cyber drones received 54 hoaxes and disinformation. One was carried out on May 6, 2019 regarding dates that must be washed clean because they contain the corona virus. Meanwhile, the other 53 were distributed January 23 to today," said Jhonny during a press conference Monday, February 4.