Vadodara: As a result of the ‘GP-SMASH’ (Gujarat Police – Social Media Monitoring, Awareness and Systematic Handling) initiative launched by Gujarat Police, another citizen has been able to resolve his issue from home. A young man from Canada, who had cancelled his booking for wedding outfits, was struggling to get his money back from a businessman in Vadodara. After he lodged a complaint with Gujarat Police by posting on X (formerly Twitter), the police took prompt action and the businessman refunded the amount the very next day. State Police Chief Vikas Sahay congratulated both the GP-SMASH team and the Vadodara Police team for their swift response.

The complainant, Ayush, had booked wedding attire worth ₹75,000 from a Vadodara-based businessman and had paid an advance. However, due to certain reasons, the booking had to be cancelled. Despite repeated requests, the businessman refused to return the money. As Ayush lives abroad, he could not personally visit Gujarat, so he tweeted his grievance to Gujarat Police (@GujaratPolice) on August 28, 2025, at 9:11 am.

Soon after receiving the tweet, PSI Rahulsinh Chudasama of the GP-SMASH state team, which operates round the clock from Gandhinagar, immediately responded and coordinated with Vadodara Police to take action. Considering the 9.5-hour time difference between India and Canada, the Vadodara Police team contacted the complainant late at night and obtained complete details. Since the case fell under the jurisdiction of J.P. Road Police Station, the local police promptly reached out to the businessman. Following the police intervention, the businessman refunded ₹65,000 to the complainant.

GP-SMASH: 24×7 social media support for citizens

The GP-SMASH project, launched on March 1, has been delivering encouraging results. The GP-SMASH team operates 24×7 in three shifts to assist citizens. So far, the team has received over 650 complaints and representations, resolving most issues within just a few hours, the state government stated in a press release. DeshGujarat