Malappuram police summon teen for spreading fake holiday message in district collector’s name

The Malappuram Cyber Crime Police summoned and cautioned a minor boy for creating a fake social media post in the name of District Collector V R Vinod, falsely declaring a holiday for educational institutions due to heavy rain.

The boy, a Plus Two student from Vairamkode near Tirunavaya, was called in with his parents and was counselled on the legal and ethical consequences of his actions. The police confirmed no case was registered, given his age. The district collector also requested the police not to take legal action against the minor.

It was on December 2, the teen fabricated a screenshot of the collector’s social media account, announcing that schools and other institutions, except professional colleges, would remain closed in Malappuram on December 3. He shared the message in a WhatsApp group with his classmates.

The fake notice led to confusion among parents, students, and teachers until the collector officially declared the holiday at 8:55 pm. The collector later addressed the situation through a Facebook post and instructed the district administration to involve the police in tracing the source of the fake message.

Following directions from Malappuram District Police Chief R Viswanath, a team led by Cyber Crime Police Inspector I C Chitharanjan and overseen by DCRB DySP Saju K Abraham, led the probe.