British girl hoax: Bajaur man held

BAJAUR:

A man has been arrested for spreading fake “love affair” news on social media in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

In a bizarre incident in Bajaur tribal district, police have apprehended a man for circulating a fake picture on social media, falsely claiming that his friend had married a British girl after starting an affair on Facebook.

Following the recent news of “love marriages” involving an Indian girl and a Chinese girl in Dir Upper and Lower, social media platforms were flooded with various fake stories about similar love affairs.

Taking advantage of the situation, a local man named Muhammad Gulab posted a fake picture, alleging that a British girl named Ela had arrived in the remote Salarzai area of Bajaur to meet her love interest.

The alleged presence of a foreign girl in the distant tehsil of Bajaur caused panic in the police department, prompting them to send a contingent of police personnel to provide security to the lady. However, upon investigation, it was discovered that the news was nothing more than a joke played by a close friend of the man.

Subsequently, the police took the man into custody on charges of spreading rumors and false information on social media. While local residents criticized the police for the arrest, police defended the move.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 31^st, 2023.