N’dranou issues fake news warning

By Rebecca Kuku
POLICE have warned people posting “false information” on social media about persons mysteriously going missing and creating public anxiety can be charged under the Cyber Act.
Port Moresby Metropolitan Superintendent Perou N’dranou, pictured, was reacting to reports of missing persons circulated on social media causing anxiety and panic among city residents.
N’dranou dismissed the “reports” as false as most of them had not been reported to the police.
“Though one or two maybe genuine, most are not,” he said.
He cited as an example of a young girl reported “missing” but it was discovered that she had run away with her boyfriend.
He urged people who had information about missing persons to report it to authorities.
“Don’t go posting fake information or you will be charged,” he said.
N’dranou also denied that there was an increase in people going missing.
“So far we have 19 cases of missing persons since Jan 1,” he said.
“But most of them, in the case of girls and women, were either running away from violent homes, or in the case of children, they were picked up by another parent while the other parent filed a missing persons report because they were not talking to each other.
“It is not increasing.
“So please get your facts right before you start posting on social media.”