Viral allegation on body of COVID patient from India found in Sabah waters a hoax - Police

KOTA KINABALU: The viral news claiming that a body of a COVID-19 patient dumped in the sea in India and was found in Sabah waters is a hoax, said Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hazani Ghazali.

He said Sabah Police had yet to receive any report on such incident and hence, called on all quarters to not fall for the viral news, let alone to spread it without verifying it with the relevant authorities.

"There is no such incident in Sabah," he told Bernama when contacted.

A social media user recently shared several pictures of fishermen with their catch on a boat, which include a body, with a caption that read: "Mayat COVID-19 yang dibuang laut di India sudah sampai di Sabah, siapa berani makan ikan patutlah ikan sekarang lain macam rasanya !!!," ("Body dumped in the sea in India has arrived in Sabah, who dares to eat fish, no wonder it tastes different now!!!"), which triggered anxiety among the locals.

-- BERNAMA