Identity theft: Sweeper in real life, Punjab governor Badnore on Facebook

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByShub Karman Dhaliwal, Chandigarh

Jun 03, 2018 06:56 PM IST

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Chandigarh police have nabbed an Amritsar man for creating Punjab governor and Chandigarh administrator Badnore’s profile on Facebook.

Miscreants creating fake Facebook profiles have not even spared Punjab governor and UT administrator VP Singh Badnore. In the latest case that has come to light, the UT police have nabbed an Amritsar man for creating Badnore’s profile on the social media site.

Cyber Cell officials said on an average they have been receiving one such complaint of fake account on Facebook and its photo-sharing app Instagram.(Reuters File Photo)

Why people create fake profiles

Cyber cell officials said people generally don’t know that creating a fake account in the name of another person is a crime.

They make dummy accounts to get acknowledged on social media, get fame and are motivated with a false belief that they can earn money by generating clicks on advertisements

Many people also create fake accounts to seek revenge or sexually harass a person, especially woman

Cyber Cell officials said on an average they have been receiving one such complaint of fake account on Facebook and its photo-sharing app Instagram.

In fact, there has been a substantial increase in the number of such cases in Chandigarh (see box).

Keshav Kumar, 22, of Amritsar was nabbed after Punjab Raj Bhavan officials complained about false information concerning Badnore was being uploaded on Facebook.

“We had received a complaint from the governor’s office on April 29. Probe led us to Keshav,” said deputy superintendent of police (cyber cell) Rashmi Yadav.

‘To earn name, fame’

Keshav’s quizzing revealed that he had created the governor’s fake Facebook profile to “earn name and fame” besides making money. On scrutinising his mobile phone, investigating officials found phone numbers of many politicians and other influential people from the area. Investigations are on to find from where he got all this data.

Sources said Keshav, who studied till Class 12, belongs to a poor family and earns his livelihood by working as a sweeper at three different places. However, he appears to be good in operating computer and using social media.

A case under Section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 66 (identity theft) of the Information Technology (IT) Act has been registered.