Government Uses 'Hera Pheri' Meme To Warn Devotees Against Ram Mandir VIP Entry Scam

The much-awaited inauguration of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya will take place today with the 'pran pratistha' (consecration ceremony) of Ram Lalla taking place in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Meanwhile, scammers are misusing this opportunity and are duping devotees in the name of getting VIP entry at the event.

Several people have reported getting WhatsApp texts promising them free VIP passes to the ceremony, which are fake. The message urges the receivers to download an APK file attached to the message which might contain malware and corrupt the phone.

To alert the public of the same, Cyber Dost, the cybersecurity handle of the Government of India, shared a popular Bollywood meme to warn devotees of the deceptive WhatsApp scam. The 'Hera Pheri '-themed meme featuring actors Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Paresh Rawal, warns citizens not to click on any suspicious link and avoid making payments to unauthorized websites.

''Beware of recent online frauds: Fraudsters may convince you for Fake passes of VIP Entry regarding "Pran Pratishtha Event" of Shri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya . Don't click any suspicious link and avoid transaction in this regard to unknown number or website,'' the tweet read by Cyber Dost reads. Several government handles are also tagged in the tweet. 

See the tweet here:

Beware of recent online frauds :
Fraudsters may convince you for Fake passes of VIP Entry regarding "Pran Pratishtha Event" of Shri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya .
Don't click any suspicious link and avoid transaction in this regard to unknown number or website.
#Ayodhya #ShriRam #I4C pic.twitter.com/B5kR0CTGsn

— Cyber Dost (@Cyberdost) January 21, 2024

Notably, only individuals with valid invites or on government duty would be allowed to enter the temple today. 

The 'pran pratishtha' at the Ram Mandir will begin at 12:20 pm and is likely to end by 1 pm.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will then address a gathering of more than 7,000 people, including seers and prominent personalities, at the venue. 

The temple trust has invited more than 7,000 people to attend the grand inauguration. This includes cricket stars Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni; Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan, Rajnikanth, Anushka Sharma, Alia Bhatt, and Ranbir Kapoor.

To mark the occasion of the consecration ceremony, government offices, boards, and corporations in several states have declared a half day or a holiday.

Ayodhya's Ram temple will be opened for 'darshan' to the general public from January 23. The darshan timings for devotees are divided into two slots –from 7 AM to 11.30 AM and 2 PM to 7 PM. People need a pass issued by the trust to attend the aarti.