A police case was registered on Wednesday against a furniture showroom owner at Bhiwandi in Maharashtra’s Thane district for putting out an ad claiming that mattresses sold by him could cure the coronavirus infection.

The accused, whose name was not disclosed by the police, owns two furniture showrooms in Bhiwandi. The ad had been published in a Gujarati newspaper on March 13.

The man has been booked under IPC Section 505(2) (statements conducing to public mischief) and the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954.

When the police questioned the trader, he could not produce any medical proof to back his claims, an officer said.