Surat: A 25-year-old fashion video creator has been arrested by the Surat City Crime Branch on Saturday for allegedly circulating a fabricated social media post linked to the students’ protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, which police said was intended to spread false rumours, incite hostility and disturb public peace.
According to the officials, the social media post, which went viral on July 24, carried the caption, “Heartfelt tribute to a girl at Jantar Mantar, Delhi”, along with a photograph of a girl.
Police said no such incident had occurred and alleged that the electronic content had been fabricated and circulated on Facebook to provoke unnecessary unrest and create feelings of hatred during the ongoing students’ protest at Jantar Mantar.
Following the circulation of the post, the Cyber Crime Police Station registered a case and launched an investigation.
Acting on technical surveillance, social media monitoring and human intelligence inputs, the Surat City Crime Branch identified and apprehended the operator of the Facebook account on Saturday.
The accused has been identified as Aditya Baraiya, a fashion video creator residing at Vidhata Apartment on L.H. Road in Varachha area of Surat. He is originally from Bela village in Talaja taluka of Bhavnagar district.
After his arrest, he was handed over to the Surat Cyber Crime Police Station for further investigation.
Police said the investigation was carried out as part of heightened monitoring of social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Instagram, to identify individuals and groups sharing content that could disrupt law and order.
“The surveillance was undertaken on the directions of the Surat Police Commissioner and the Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), with the Cyber Crime Branch’s Social Media Monitoring Team using technical surveillance and human intelligence to track potentially unlawful online activity,” officials said.
The case has been registered at Umra Police Station under Sections 192, 336(2), 336(4) and 353(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2008.
In its public advisory, Surat City Police urged people not to share reels, posts or other social media content without first verifying its authenticity.
It also appealed to citizens to report fake posts or reels to the nearest police station to help prevent the spread of misinformation and maintain social harmony.
(IANS)
