April Fool’s Day 2020: Say no to fake new pranks, tweet police handles

You don’t need a specific day to get fooled but hey, there’s an entire day dedicated to it. April 1 is celebrated as April Fool’s Day everywhere but things are quite different this time around. Everyone’s under lockdown and you at least have to be physically present in front of someone to pull the same old chipkali prank. So what’s the next best read stupid prank people are turning to? Fake messages, what else? So now official police handles on Twitter are taking on these fake messages and pranksters, some with a sprinkle of humour, to try and help people from falling for ‘bura na mano, April Fool hai’ pranks.

After Prime Minister Modi’s announcement of a 21-day lockdown fake news has been a menace. And in answer to this the Twitter handle of DCP South Delhi tweeted this special post taking a cue from the popular fiction movie Harry Potter. With a picture showing Harry donning the invisibility cloak, the picture included the text, “You might not see us. But we are watching you.” Just like Harry used to keep an eye for mysterious things, the tweet proves that the police is omnipresent and active in busting fake news spread intentionally in the garb of April Fool’s Day.

“We’re vigilant & everywhere! Strict legal action will be taken against any attempt to spread rumours on social media in the guise of #AprilFoolsDay,” reads the tweet.

Another advisory on fake news was posted on Twitter by the Police Commissioner of Mumbai. Collecting a series of fake WhatsApp forwards, the tweet warns people not to fall for such rumors and panic amid the lockdown.

“This year #AprilFoolsDay Do not fall prey to any rumor message. Only rely on information from authorized sources. #DontGetFooled,” reads the tweet.

Uttar Pradesh police helpline Twitter handle, Call 112 also shared a tweet.

The posts have garnered considerable appreciation and concerned comments from netizens to which the police assured complete cooperation and assistance.

“Thanks. Keep tweeting important messages,” writes a Twitter user. “Please keep updating false rumor,” says another. “Please keep updating about all such rumors and important info about the out break,” requests a third.

We also urge you also to maintain calm and not fall for or spread fake news.