Fake coronavirus link: Dead chicken found in Maha river

Several dead chicken were found in Dham river in Maharashtra's Wardha district on Tuesday, with officials claiming it may be the result of poultry prices crashing due to false claims that they could transmit the novel coronavirus. The chickens were found in the river near Tuljapur in Selu tehsil, an official said.

"The stench in the area was unbearable. Due to false messages of poultry being carriers of the coronavirus, prices have crashed and some poultry farmer or trader might have dumped them in the river," said an official. Incidentally, the state Animal Husbandry department had filed a complaint with Pune police over two social media videos making the false poultry-coronavirus link claim.

Pune police had zeroed in on a minor from Uttar Pradesh and a man from Andhra Pradesh as the video uploaders. A top police official from Pune had claimed such videos had hit the sector by as much as Rs 650 crore.