Hyderabad: Senior IAS officer Navin Mittal has filed a police complaint after unidentified fraudsters created fake Facebook profiles using his name and photographs to deceive his contacts. The cyber scam led to one of Mittal’s acquaintances being duped into transferring ₹99,000.
The impersonators reportedly created a fake Facebook account with Mittal’s photos and personal details. On May 11, they contacted Manish Agarwal, a friend of Mittal, and tricked him into transferring money under the pretense of selling household items on behalf of the IAS officer.
“The imposter is not only causing financial loss but also emotional distress by repeatedly targeting my personal contacts,” Mittal stated in his complaint. He urged authorities to take strict action against the perpetrators and also criticized Facebook India for failing to prevent such impersonations despite available safeguards.
Following the complaint lodged on May 12, the Hyderabad cyber crime police registered a case under Sections 318(4) (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 319(2) (cheating by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act.
Officials confirmed that an investigation is underway to track the digital trail of the fraudsters and bring them to justice.
