Class 12 students held for circulating fake school holiday order

Noida: Two class 12 students have been apprehended here for allegedly circulating a fake official order which said schools in Noida and Greater Noida would remain closed on Monday and Tuesday, police said.

The two students, aged 16 years, of the government inter-college, have been produced before the juvenile justice board and sent to Children Home under its custody, a senior police officer said.

“They said they had forged the order which had fake signatures of the district magistrate to get their winter holidays extended,” Senior Superintendent of Police, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Vaibhav Krishna told PTI.

Schools in Gautam Buddh Nagar had been closed last week due to intense cold amid the anti-citizenship law agitations in parts of Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere in the country.

On Sunday evening, the forged letter surfaced online and got circulated via WhatsApp, stating that schools will remain closed on December 23 and 24 also. The letter had caused major confusion, prompting officials to file a police complaint.

“I have come to know that a fake order for closure of schools tomorrow has been circulated under my signature. No such order was issued. A criminal case for fraud and causing panic in public is being lodged,” DM B N Singh had tweeted.

Meanwhile, some friends of the apprehended students staged a dharna outside the city magistrate’s office demanding that the duo be released.

SSP Krishna said the accused students have been produced before the juvenile justice board and further proceedings were underway against them.