Fake ANI handle used to tweet that Twitter is closing India operations today

New Delhi, May 26: Amidst the Twitter row, a post went viral on the social media claiming that the micro blogging site would be stopping operations in India.

Claiming that news agency ANI had broken the news, the post says, Twitter will stop operations in India with effect from 26th May 00.00 hours. Use of any VPN, third party API will be treated as a criminal offence, the post also reads.

Many were quick to react to the post. One user said thanks to PMO, India is now officially a Banana republic.

Another user said while quoting the fake tweet, " wah Vishwaguru... ease of doing business. Step 3 to going the way of Iran or Afghanistan. The usual media monkeys still justifying and applauding."

This is how these people become super-spreaders of fake news. Make an unofficial handle tweet from it and then quote/RT from Bluetick handles. I am sure @Twitter will not call it manipulative media. https://t.co/qz83pl5UgW

— Sumeet Bhasin (@sumeetbhasin) May 25, 2021

The post which got many senior journalists carried was from a fake ANI handle. The handle used to tweet this fake claim was from @ANINewsIndia. The official handle of ANI is @ANI.

No limit to the number of fake news tweets she makes. Photo from WhatsApp University is pedalled as news. News websites who claim to oh so credible continue to give her column space. pic.twitter.com/qjILD4Nzxe

— Smita Prakash (@smitaprakash) May 25, 2021

Smita Prakash, chief of ANI took to Twitter and posted, "no limit to the number of fake news tweets she makes. Photo from WhatsApp University is pedalled as news. News websites who claim to oh so credible continue to give her column space.

Moreover Twitter has made no such announcement about it closing operations in India. The micro-blogging site is however yet to comply with the new norms of the government, the deadline of which ended at 12.01 am on May 26.