The Mumbai police cyber cell has arrested a B.A. graduate for allegedly making a fake Facebook profile of his second cousin and posting the display picture of the latter kissing his former girlfriend. The motive was to break his second cousin’s marriage, which was on the cards, and to defame him as they were supporting different candidates in an election held in Uttar Pradesh last year.
The accused Ramiz Shaikh (24) was traced to Goa, but before a team could be sent there, he came to Worli for some work. He was unaware that an FIR was lodged against him, and he was arrested from Worli. The complainant’s father and Shaikh’s father are cousins. The two families back in Uttar Pradesh were supporting candidates in opposite parties in a local election.
Shaikh learnt that his second cousin, the complainant in the case, had broken up with his girlfriend and was to marry some other woman. He somehow managed to get the intimate photograph of the complainant kissing his former girlfriend and made a fake profile using it as the display picture. He gave the complainant’s name to the fake profile and sent it to all his friends. Shaikh also posted derogatory comments on the fake profile.
When the complainant’s friends realised it was a fake profile, they got in touch with him. The man, a resident of Mumbai, rushed to the cyber cell and lodged a complaint against an unidentified person. He had no idea it was his estranged cousin Shaikh. The cyber cell contacted Facebook authorities, who provided the IP address of Shaikh, following which he was arrested. Shaikh is a businessman and runs a factory. Senior police inspector, cyber cell, Sudhir Mahadik said an FIR was registered in November last year. Police inspector Kalpana Gadekar is investigating the case.
