New Delhi: A letter claiming to be from the Ministry of External Affairs, directing the Indian High Commission in Australia to extend full cooperation with the Australian government in the ongoing investigation into the Bondi Beach shootout that took place on Sunday, is going viral on social media. However, the PIB’s fact-checking unit has termed the letter fake.
“A fabricated letter, falsely attributed to the Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, is being circulated on social media claiming official directions to the Indian High Commission in Australia to cooperate with Australian authorities in the ongoing investigation,” PIB said on X.
PIB also confirmed that the MEA has issued no such letter and that the document is being circulated to push a misleading narrative.
Another video claiming to show New South Wales's (NSW) Premier Chris Minns confirming that Indian nationals were behind the Bondi Beach attack in Sydney and that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has pledged cooperation, is altered and fake.
Meanwhile, Telangana Police on Tuesday officially confirmed that Sajid Akram, one of the two accused in the deadly Bondi Beach shooting in Sydney, was originally from Hyderabad and had migrated to Australia in 1998.