KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 9 (Bernama) -- The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) has denied a recent viral claim of a special press conference by acting Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Ibrahim Darus regarding the implementation of a police operation.
PDRM secretary Datuk Mohamad Noor Yusof Ali said the claim circulated via a Facebook account was false, and that Ibrahim had never held any press conference at Bukit Aman nor issued such a statement.
"The content circulated used fake images and identities as well as the position of the acting Deputy Inspector-General of Police to create the impression that the statement represented the official position of PDRM.
"Such an act could potentially mislead the public, cause misunderstandings and undermine the credibility of the individual and the PDRM institution," he said in a statement today.
In this regard, Mohamad Noor said PDRM had lodged a police report to facilitate investigations to identify the party responsible for producing and disseminating the content, including its motive and purpose.
He said PDRM viewed seriously the act of producing, manipulating or disseminating false content using the identity, image or position of any officer or personnel to create the impression that it was official information.
"The public is advised not to easily believe or disseminate any information whose authenticity has not been verified, but instead to verify it through official PDRM channels and credible news sources," he said.
Mohamad Noor also urged the public to be responsible social media users and not spread content that could cause confusion and disrupt public order.
-- BERNAMA