A 24-year-old man from Delhi has been arrested by the south cyber police station of the Mumbai crime branch for claiming to be affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party and deceiving people under the pretext of offering them membership of the country’s largest party, for a fee.
Police said that the accused and his associates — operating from Chhattisgarh and Bihar — misused the name and symbol of the BJP to falsely advertise on social media platforms, through which they are suspected to have duped 400 to 500 people by accepting membership fees from them.
According to police, the complainant in the case is Swapnil Atmaram Savardekar, a member and worker of the BJP from Sewri Assembly seat.
In his complaint, Savardekar said that on February 12, when he was at home at around 11.30 pm and was browsing the social media, he came across a viral message in Hindi, offering bulk BJP memberships through a referral code.
It read, “Namaste, Honorable. This is not for the general public. This is helpful for BJP MPs, MLAs, Corporators, Candidates, Presidents, and other aspirants. I hope you are doing well. In case you want to become a BJP member through a referral code at a reasonable price, then you can contact us using the details below.”
On inquiring further, it was revealed that the mobile number’s WhatsApp profile showed the name “Membership Campaign Survey Online Serve”, along with the BJP’s name and symbol, misleading the public into believing it was a legitimate offer. They even used the email ID [email protected] to deceive people.
He said that after he discussed with party members, it was revealed that the user of the mobile number was fraudulently using the BJP’s name and symbol to cheat people. Since the message had no connection to the political party’s official membership campaign and because the false and misleading propaganda was damaging the party’s image and reputation, Savardekar approached the Mumbai police and lodged a complaint.
Story continues below this ad
A case was registered under sections 318(4) (cheating) and 319(2) (cheating by impersonation) of the BNS, along with sections 66(D) and 74 of the Information Technology Act at the South Cyber police station.
Police then investigated the matter, and the identity of the user of the mobile number and email ID was found to be Samarjit Singh. A team was subsequently dispatched, and the suspect was brought to Mumbai. After confessing to his role in the crime, he was arrested on February 14 and two mobile phones were seized from him.
During his custodial investigation, Singh revealed the role of a 17-year-old minor from Bihar, who had provided details of four to five bank accounts to him. It is suspected that Singh, who obtained money from cheating people through this scam, deposited some of the amount in those accounts.
Subsequently, the minor’s address was obtained, and a team was sent there. The teenager told police that the mastermind in the case is based in Chhattisgarh, and south cyber police officials are trying to locate him.
Story continues below this ad
Police officials are investigating the social media platforms on which the accused had posted the message and are also trying to determine whether the accused has committed similar offences in the past
Disclaimer: We do not own any of the content, ideas, images, or text presented here. All rights belong to their respective owners. For more information and to view the original source, please visit the following link: