KUALA LUMPUR: Police today clarified that it has never issued any media statement titled ‘Senarai Nama Ketua Kongsi Gelap di Malaysia (Op Cantas 2016)', supposedly a list of the names of prominent gang leaders in the country.
The Inspector-General of Police’s corporate communications secretariat, Superintendent N. Venugopal said the supposed media release is a hoax.
The ‘media release’ had used the name of police’s corporate communications chief Datin Asmawati Ahmad.
“The police have never issued any public announcements on its targets concerning any upcoming operations. This irresponsible act is clearly perpetrated by quarters who wish to create anxiety and panic among the public,” said Venugopal in a statement today.
Venugopal advised members of the public to not be easily duped into believing or disseminating any unverified information.
The fake media statement was widely shared on social media and chat applications today. It featured a list of 12 people who were supposedly prominent underworld figures in Malaysia.