A case was registered on Wednesday against the owner of a furniture shop at Bhiwandi in Thane district for issuing a misleading advertisement which claimed that mattresses sold at his shop cure the coronavirus.
The accused, whose name was not disclosed by the police, owns two furniture showrooms in Bhiwandi.
On March 13, he allegedly published an advertisement in a Gujarati newspaper that the novel coronavirus can be cured or prevented by sleeping on a special kind of mattress which he sold.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajkumar Shinde said a First Information Report (FIR) was registered on a complaint by medical officer of Kharbhav Primary Health Centre under IPC section 505(2) (statements conducing to public mischief) as well as the TheDrugsand Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements)Act, 1954.
When the 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 coronavirus in print, tv or any other media, DCP Shinde warned.
