Man Poses As Gujarat Official, Asks Police To Release Cybercrime Accused

The Gujarat police have arrested a man who allegedly posed as an official from the chief minister's office (CMO) and asked Jamnagar superintendent of police to release an accused arrested in a cybercrime case, an official said on Sunday.

The police on Saturday arrested Nikunj Patel from Ahmedabad and brought him to Jamnagar, he said.

Nikunj Patel allegedly made a WhatsApp call on the official number of Jamnagar Superintendent of Police Premsukh Delu on August 10 and identified himself as a CMO official, deputy superintendent of police Jayvirsinh Zala said.

He allegedly asked the senior police officer to release one Amir Aslam, who was recently arrested in a cybercrime-related offence, and connect him to the accused over phone, he said.

The SP, however, ordered a probe, which revealed that the phone number from which he received the call did not belong to any official from the CMO, Zala told reporters.

Based on the phone number, the police tracked downNikunj Patel, who was arrested from Ahmedabad on Saturday and brought to Jamnagar, he said, adding that a case under section 170 (impersonating a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered. 

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