A case has been filed against a person for trying to rob the Qatar royal family by creating a fake WhatsApp account in the name of Maharashtra NCP leader Praful Patel.
The accused is a businessman and had claimed himself to be a politician. He created a fake account on WhatsApp using Praful Patel’s photo and then demanded money from the Qatar royal family. He said that his mother has cancer and needs money for her treatment.
Money was needed for mother’s treatment
According to the police, the accused businessman’s name is Rahul Kant and he lives in Juhu area of Mumbai. The police have registered a case against him. He is accused of contacting the royal family using a VIP number and asking for money. During police interrogation, Kant claimed that his mother has cancer and needs money for her treatment.
Yashasvi Yadav, Special IG of Maharashtra Cyber Department, said that using the names of popular people and leaders and defaming them has become common on social media, which is a matter of concern. Police said that the accused’s business had failed and he was unable to get treatment for his mother who was suffering from cancer.
He said that the accused had used a paid app link which makes it easy to access VIP numbers. He used Praful Patel’s photo and number to contact the Qatar royal family and introduced himself as Praful Patel.
This incident happened on 20th July. Initially Praful Patel thought that his phone has been hacked but when the royal family told him about the whole incident, he appealed to not just look at the display picture and not get caught up in such things.
The police have registered a case of forgery and fraud against Rahul Kant under sections of the IT Act and the Indian Penal Code. IG Yashasvi Yadav said that the fake WhatsApp account created in the name of Praful Patel has been deactivated. The accused has not been arrested yet.