Food vendor held for offering coronavirus cure

A food vendor has been arrested in Meerut for offering a 'miracle' cure for coronavirus, police said.

Pawan Yadav, 40, was arrested and charged with Section 420 (cheating), 268 (public nuisance) of IPC and Section 66 of IT Act and sent to jail.

Superintendent of Police (rural) Avinash Pandey said that Yadav had uploaded a 9-minute video holding the 'miracle' medicine in his hand on social media platforms. He also offered himself to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked to be tested amid 1,000 novel coronavirus patients.

Yadav generated considerable curiosity on social media sites, and started getting phone calls.

"The entire 9-minute video is addressed to the Prime Minister. Yadav claimed the medicine was made 27 years ago and can destroy any form of virus, including coronavirus. He runs a small shop of fast food near a college. The video is simply aimed at drawing attention," the SP said.

Yadav told the police that his entire family was consuming the medicine for the last six years and have been untouched by the disease all these years. IANS