Fact-check: Message claiming new communication rules implemented, calls to be recorded is fake

New Delhi (Vishvas News): Vishvas News recently on its chatbot (+91 95992 99372), received a claim in Marathi which said that new communication rules will be implemented from tomorrow. Vishvas News in its investigation found that this claim is fake and it was shared earlier too during various instances.

Claim:
As per the message shared to Vishvas News by our reader on the chatbot (+91 95992 99372), the message is attribured to Nashik police. The claim in Marathi is as follows:

मोहन गायकवाड
पोलीस मुख्यालय नाशिक मो. न. 9923050662
उद्यापासून नवीन संप्रेषण नियम लागू करण्यात येतील
०१. सर्व कॉल रेकॉर्डिंग असतील.
०२. सर्व कॉल रेकॉर्डिंग जतन केले जातील.
०३. व्हॉट्सअॅप, फेसबुक, ट्विटर व सर्व सोशल मीडियावर लक्ष ठेवले जाईल.
०४. ज्यांना माहित नाही अशा सर्वांना कळवा.
०५. आपले डिव्हाइस मंत्रालयीन सिस्टीमशी कनेक्ट होतील.
०६. कोणालाही चुकीचा संदेश पाठवू नये याची खबरदारी घ्या.
०७. आपल्या मुलांना, भाऊ, नातेवाईक, मित्र, ओळखीच्या सर्वांना माहिती द्या की आपण त्यांची काळजी
घ्यावी आणि क्वचितच सोशल साइट्स चालवा.
०८. राजकारणावर किंवा सद्यस्थितीबद्दल आपण सरकार किंवा पंतप्रधानांसमोर असलेले कोणतेही पोस्ट
किंवा व्हिडिओ.. इ. पाठवू नका. ०९. सध्या कोणत्याही राजकीय किंवा धार्मिक विषयावर संदेश लिहिणे किंवा पाठविणे हा गुन्हा आहे … असे केल्याने वॉरंटशिवाय अटक होऊ शकते.
१०. पोलिस अधिसूचना काढतील… त्यानंतर सायबर क्राइम… त्यानंतर कारवाई केली जाईल ते खूप गंभीर आहे.
११. कृपया तुम्ही सर्व, गट सदस्य, प्रशासक, … कृपया या विषयाचा विचार करा. १२. चुकीचा संदेश पाठवू नका याची खबरदारी घ्या आणि सर्वांना माहिती द्या आणि या विषयाची काळजी
घ्या.
१३. कृपया हे सामायिक करा.

Translation:
Mohan Gaikwad
Police Headquarters Nashik Mo. No. 9923050662
New communication rules will be implemented from tomorrow

1. All calls will be recorded.
2. All call recordings will be saved.
3. WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and all social media will be monitored.
4. Let everyone who doesn’t know know.
5. Your devices will be connected to the ministry system.
6. Be careful not to send the wrong message to anyone.
7. Let your children, brothers, relatives, friends, acquaintances know that you care for them
   Take and use social media sites less.
8. Do not send any post or video related to government or the Prime Minister or on politics or the current situation
9. It is currently a crime to write or send a message on any political or religious issue … doing so can lead to arrest without a warrant.
10. The police will issue a notification … then cyber crime … then action will be taken. It is very serious.
11. Please all of you, group members, administrators, … please think seriously about this. 12. Be careful not to send the wrong message and let everyone know and take care of the subject
12. Please share this.

This post being widely shared on various social media platforms was earlier too shared by social media users.

check the archive version of the post here.

Check the archive version here.

Investigation:
Vishvas News started its investigation by calling the number given in the post that is being widely shared. The contact number being shared in the name of Mohan Gaikwad from the Nashik Police Headquarters was found to be switched off.

We searched the website of Nashik police, both city and rural, we did not find any officer named Mohan Gaikwad. Similarly we checked the website for press releases in this matter if any, we did not find those too.

Vishvas News also checked the Twitter profiles of Nashik City Police and Nashik Rural Police, we didn’t find the claims made in the viral message on their twitter profiles.

Vishvas News later contacted, PI Subhash Anmulwar, cyber police station, Nashik rural. Interacting with Vishvas News, he said that this message has not been released by them. He also mentioned that it is technically not possible to record calls of common people and save those recordings.

API Vishal Mane of Nagpur cyber cell too, said that the viral message is fake.

Vishvas News had conducted an investigation on the same message, that went viral in Hindi and English last year (2019).
Back then, Ayodhya Police had termed the widely circulated message to be fake.

Read the entire fact-check here: