A 36-year-old man in Mumbai was arrested after he uploaded a video on Facebook claiming that the novel coronavirus is a result of a government conspiracy and that people should not reveal the same to the authorities.

The accused has been identified as Shamim Iftekhar Khan, who has been residing in Kurla East. "His Facebook post claimed the virus does not exist and it was a conspiracy to target certain communities by the government. He also asked people not to give information to authorities during surveys in connection with the outbreak," a police official reportedly stated.

He was later arrested and cases have reportedly been booked against him under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC), and provisions of Disaster Management Act.