Police detain woman for spreading AIDS rumors

A 34-year-old woman was put under administrative detention for five days on Tuesday for spreading rumors online that claimed a university in Xiamen, Fujian province, had more than 100 students who tested positive for the HIV virus.

The city’s public security bureau posted on its Sina Weibo account that Wang, the rumormonger from Xiamen, sent the fake message in her WeChat moments after she heard of a report about HIV/AIDS on Sunday and she fabricated the rumor only to gain attention.

The rumor has caused damage to the university’s image. The local police gave her detention as a punishment and warned that netizens should avoid fabricating or spreading false information online.