Social menace

 By ZACHERY PER

EASTER Highlands police have arrested and charged a woman with alleged defamatory posting of false information on the social media network, Facebook.

Provincial police commander Supt John Kale said the Facebook post accused the Goroka police task force unit of selling a stolen vehicle.

The female suspect from a village outside Goroka is scheduled to appear at the Goroka court tomorrow charged with spreading false information under the Summary Offences Act.

Kale alleged that the woman had posted information accusing the Goroka police task force unit of having sold a recovered stolen a vehicle.

The woman was allowed K500 bail.

Kale said the Goroka police task force unit recovered eight stolen vehicles last year and four this year. 

All of them were returned to their rightful owners, he said. 

“She is the first suspect to be arrested and charged relating to the alleged spread of false and misleading information she posted on Facebook through the wall of Eastern Highlands on Facebook,” he said.

She is alleged to have made the post at the beginning of this month. 

Yesterday, however, the woman’s name was not on Facebook and police claimed the account had been removed.

Kale said users who commented on the information “will be arrested as most of them are known”.

He said the rumour spread on Facebook was “completely false”.

He called on Facebook users to be conscious and wary of what they posted as the messages could be read worldwide.