• March 30, 2020

Indian envoy in UK warns against fake news circulating on evacuation flights

LONDON March 30: The Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Ruchi Ghanashyam yesterday appealed to Indian citizens stranded in the country due to the coronavirus pandemic to beware of fake news doing the rounds about Air India evacuation flights planned next week.

Ghanashyam posted a copy of the fake news being circulated via WhatsApp messages and on social media, which claims that the Indian carrier will be operating evacuation flights from Delhi and Mumbai, and called on Indian nationals to only believe information formally provided by the High Commission of India in London.

“I appeal to all Indians in UK not to believe in or forward rumours and follow HCI [High Commission of India] London’s social media platforms for updates,” Ghanashyam said on Twitter.
The fake message, which has been shared and forwarded several times, claims the flights are being scheduled for April 1 and 2 between London Heathrow and Delhi and on April 3 from Heathrow and Delhi and on April 3 from Heathrow to Mumbai.
“They will need to contact the Indian High Commission in London to figure out about a seat,” reads the message, which triggered a flurry of queries on social media for the Indian mission about the registration process involved.
“No flights are allowed to land till April 14. Please register your name on HCI’s website so that we can contact you whenever flights open,” the mission said in a statement. – PTI

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