Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala police have started an investigation into the alleged social media campaign that targeted Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's appeal for help following the landslides in Wayanad.

On Thursday, the State Police Media Centre (SPMC) announced that the Wayanad Cybercrime police have opened a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Disaster Management Act. They are investigating a campaign allegedly designed to disrupt relief efforts.

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According to the SPMC, a fake campaign was spread on the social media platform X from an account named 'Koyikodans 2.0'. The fake posts aimed to encourage people to ignore the Chief Minister’s request for disaster relief contributions.

The police have warned that strict legal action will be taken against anyone involved in creating or sharing misleading posts. As a result, the cyber police are increasing their monitoring of social media activity.

The Chief Minister had urged people to donate to the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF) to support those affected by the devastating landslides.

The landslides, caused by heavy rains, struck several areas including Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha early Tuesday morning, resulting in numerous deaths, including women and children.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will visit Wayanad on Thursday to address the devastating landslide. He will lead an all-party meeting at the Collectorate at 11:30 am. The meeting will include ministers camping in Wayanad, district MLAs, the district panchayat president, and leaders from various political parties. A separate meeting with officials will also be held at 10:30 am.

Meanwhile, the desperate search for the missing persons continues even as the team involved in the mission has no clue regarding the number of persons who disappeared as a huge part of the hill which came down with vengeance carrying heavy boulders and loads of mud wiped out everything that stood in its way.

Agencies