Man poses as Union minister Hardeep Puri, zero FIR transferred from Kohima to Delhi

A case has been registered at the Geeta Colony police station in east Delhi after a zero FIR was transferred from Kohima where a man allegedly impersonated Union minister Hardeep Puri and sent messages to a BJP spokesperson, officials said on Wednesday.

They said police examined the suspect, a labourer who lives in the Geeta Colony, and they believe he could have been a victim of cyberattack. They said his WhatsApp account could have been hacked by criminals who used the ministers picture as profile picture to send messages.

According to police, a zero FIR — which refers to an FIR registered at a police station when the place of crime is outside its jurisdiction — was registered on February 3 under sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act at Kohima in Nagaland and was transferred to Geeta Colony police station. An FIR was registered here on Tuesday, police said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Rohit Meena said, a complaint was registered stating that some unknown person impersonated Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Puri.

He said the accused was using the ministers photo as his profile picture on WhatsApp. He sent a message to Mmhonlumo Kikon, a BJP national spokesperson and Mizoram in-charge, recently. It is suspect that his WhatsApp account could have been hacked by sending him a phishing link or via an OTP. Police have written to WhatsApp in connection with the case, police said. Police identified the person through technical surveillance and local inquiry, following which he was called for the questioning, they added.

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