A Chartered Accountant, who allegedly forged and circulated a Government Order on COVID-19 lockdown in the State, which created panic, was arrested by the Hyderabad police here on Monday.
The accused, Sreepathi Sanjeev Kumar (48), who worked at Karvy and Co., and a resident of Madhapur, downloaded and forged the government document in his laptop and phone on April 1, which he further circulated in the WhatsApp groups.
Sanjeev was a native of Dargah Mitta in Nellore town of Andhra Pradesh. A Dell laptop and Apple iPhone which were used in commission of offences were seized from his possession.
“He prepared and circulated the fake GO vide G.O.Ms.No.45 dated April 1 on the name of Chief Secretary to Telangana government and cheated people by circulating the same in social media,” Commissioner of Police Anjani Kumar said.
The accused later circulated the GO copy in his badminton friends WhatsApp group, which was later forwarded in several groups and individuals by the participants of that group, he said.
“Everyone assumed that it was an original GO issued by the Government. A GO is a serious document in the government and one cannot take it in a lighter vein. Forging a government document, that too a GO, is a serious offence, which can lead to unimaginable consequences,” Mr. Kumar said.
He said that during the course of investigation, a cyber crimes team led by Joint Commissioner of Police (Detective Department) Avinash Mohanty, had examined more than 1,800 mobile phones before zeroing in on the actual culprit.
The accused was apprehended by the Hyderabad Commissioner’s Task Force (West zone) team.
Published - April 05, 2021 02:29 pm IST
