Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch Arrests 8 in Social Media Harassment Cases Under Mission Cyber Rakshika

The Cyber Crime Branch has arrested eight people, including a woman, and initiated legal action against three minors for allegedly harassing and defaming women on social media under its ‘Mission Cyber Rakshika’ campaign.

Police registered nine FIRs in one month and traced the accused across Ahmedabad, other districts of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The cases involve allegedly edited Garba videos, fake social media profiles, obscene posts, online blackmail and attempts to damage women’s reputations.

Edited Garba Videos Used to Harass Women

Investigators found that some accused allegedly edited videos of women performing Garba during Navratri and uploaded them to Instagram with obscene captions to gain followers and likes.

In one case, three minors from Sabarkantha and Bhavnagar allegedly created fake accounts using their parents’ mobile numbers, obtained Garba videos and circulated the edited content online.

Other accused allegedly created fake Instagram and Facebook profiles to target women following personal disputes or the breakdown of relationships. Obscene material was reportedly sent to victims’ relatives, fiancés and friends to cause embarrassment and damage their reputations.

Woman Allegedly Cheated of ₹ 1.21 Lakh

In one case, a man allegedly contacted a woman through Instagram and pressured her to enter into a physical relationship. When she refused, he allegedly threatened to defame her and initially demanded ₹ 2 lakh.

He later claimed he was remorseful and allegedly took ₹ 1.21 lakh from her under the pretext of performing a religious ritual. Of this amount, ₹ 21,000 was transferred through Google Pay, while the woman was allegedly forced to withdraw ₹ 1 lakh from an ATM in Prahladnagar and hand it over to him.

Fake Accounts Used to Target Women

The investigation uncovered several alleged methods of online harassment and defamation.

• Garba video manipulation: Three minors allegedly edited and circulated videos of women performing Garba using fake social media accounts.
• Attempt to disrupt an engagement: A Class 12 pass-out allegedly sent obscene content to a woman's fiancé in an attempt to sabotage her engagement without her knowledge.
• Personal vendetta: Following a dispute over a vehicle collision, an accused allegedly circulated a fake post claiming that a woman was involved in an intimate relationship.
• Fake Facebook profile: Another accused allegedly created a fake account in a woman's name and published objectionable content, including a reference to a monetary amount.

Victims' Identities Kept Confidential

The Cyber Crime Branch said female officers counselled the victims and police registered cases promptly while maintaining strict confidentiality about their identities.

The action forms part of Mission Cyber Rakshika, a campaign aimed at addressing online harassment, blackmail and other forms of abuse targeting women. The cases highlight how fake profiles and manipulated images or videos can be used to threaten victims and cause reputational harm.