The memorial to Sardar Patel, at 182 metres, is the world's tallest such structure
A case was filed against an unknown person in Gujarat for placing an online advertisement to "sell" the Statue of Unity in Kevadiya in Narmada district for Rs 30,000 crore to meet the government's expenses for hospitals and medical infrastructure to fight the coronavirus outbreak.
The memorial to Sardar Patel, at 182 metres, is the world's tallest such structure and has attracted several lakh tourists since it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018.
"Some unknown person placed an advertisement on OLX on Saturday stating he needs to sell the Statue of Unity for Rs 30,000 crore to meet the requirement of money to make hospitals and buy healthcare equipment," a police officer said, quoting the First Information Report (FIR).
"The memorial's authorities came to know of the issue after a newspaper ran an article, and approached the police. A cheating and forgery case was filed under the IPC (Indian Penal Code), Epidemic Diseases Act, and Information Technology Act," police officer PT Chaudhary said.
Soon after it was posted, the advertisement was taken off the website.
"Despite not being authorised to sell government property, this unidentified person posted the advertisement on OLX to defame the government and mislead people," said a statement by the chief administrator of the Statue of Unity.
Such an advertisement hurts the sentiments of several crore people who idolise Sardar Patel, it added.