Suspected hacker held for spreading coronavirus rumours

A cyber police team on Tuesday arrested a person for allegedly hacking into a Facebook account and spreading rumours about coronavirus deaths.

Md Nymur Rahman, alias Nyem, 19, was arrested in Dhaka’s Jatrabari.

Police claimed that Nyem is a contract hacker with a history of committing this kind of crime based on evidence recovered about his activities.

Assistant Inspector General (AIG-media) of police headquarters, Md Sohel Rana, said that the cyber monitoring team of the police detected a misleading post on March 29. “One person informed us and gave us a Facebook link on our page which had gone viral with many likes and shares.”

The Facebook post read: “It was just reported that 27 people died of coronavirus in our Shanir Akhra and Signboard area. All of you remain cautious; know for yourself and help others know by sharing this information. May Allah protect us.”

On being informed, a cyber police team launched an investigation and arrested Nyem. Police seized several devices, including his mobile phone, from him. Earlier, Nyem had hacked into Facebook accounts in return for money. Evidence was found in this regard from his seized devices, he added.

During primary interrogation, Nyem confessed to the crime. The original owner of the ID used to be his friend. They had a fallout after getting into a brawl. Seeking revenge, he hacked his friend’s Facebook ID on March 23.

Later, on March 29, he made a post through taking advantage of the present coronavirus crisis. But he did not stop there and created another fake ID which he used to report the crime to the cyber police, hoping that the real owner of the ID would be arrested.

AIG Sohel Rana requested all to share information with cyber police about any rumours.

People can provide information to cyber police on its Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/cpccidbdpolice/ or call this number – +880 1730-336431.