Instagram user booked over fake ‘news’ post featuring Gujarat Dy CM Sanghavi

Kheda: The cybercrime police have registered a complaint against an Instagram user for allegedly sharing a misleading post featuring Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi’s photograph and claiming that liquor was being sold in a village.

The complaint was filed on August 27 by cybercrime police sub-inspector Niraj Barot, who reportedly came across the account while monitoring social media platforms.

According to the complaint, the post, uploaded on August 26, claimed that immediate action, including possible suspension, could be taken against the village sarpanch over the alleged sale of liquor. It further suggested that the sarpanch was aware of liquor being sold openly in the village.

Police said the post was presented in the format of a news report and could create the impression that the statements had been made by Sanghavi himself.

During the investigation, the cybercrime unit traced the mobile number linked to the Instagram account and found that it was registered in the name of a resident of Kheda district.

The complaint was filed days after the Bhavnagar hooch tragedy, in which 13 people died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor sold as Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL). The incident had brought renewed attention to illegal liquor networks operating in the state.

The account holder has been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. Police said they are monitoring social media platforms for fabricated news and misleading posts, particularly those that use photographs or identities of public officials. DeshGujarat