The High Grounds police have arrested two men for allegedly spreading fake news about Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy.
The arrested have been identified as Ajith Shetty Heranje, a correspondent with media portal uksuddi.in, from Udupi, and Gangadhar, hailing from Bagalkot.
Dinesh H.B., media secretary to the Chief Minister, had lodged a complaint on Thursday over a fake news report about Mr. Kumaraswamy’s stay at a naturopathy treatment centre at Kaup in Udupi district.
On April 24, the portal allegedly published morphed photos of Mr. Kumaraswamy and actor Radhika with a report stating that they were at a resort in Udupi.
“This was done to tarnish Mr. Kumaraswamy’s image. Hence, legal action should be taken against them,” Mr. Dinesh said in the complaint. The two have been booked on charges of forgery and criminal intimidation.