Police in Hangzhou City, the capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, detained a man on Sunday who spread rumors on the Internet, saying radiation from an exploded nuclear power plant has polluted the sea off the eastern Shandong Province.

The man, surnamed Chen, is to be held in custody for 10 days and fined 500 yuan (about 76.1 U.S. dollars), said a spokesman with the Xihu branch of the Hangzhou City Public Security Bureau.

Chen, who works with a computer company in Hangzhou, posted the hoax on Tuesday on a local Bulletin Board System, also urging people to store salt and dried kelp as well as not to eat sea food for one year.

Some net users reported the post, which spread rapidly on the Internet and caused panic among local residents, according to the police.

Chen said he learned of the false information when chatting with a friend on the Internet.

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