Fake Instagram account uses Ahmedabad woman’s name, photos, case filed

The Sola High Court Police in Ahmedabad have registered a case after a 22-year-old woman complained that an unidentified person had created a fake Instagram account using her name and photographs. The imposter allegedly uploaded old pictures of her with a friend, leading to distress and reputational harm.

As per the FIR filed by Muskan Yadav, a sales executive residing in Gota, the fake account was discovered about a month ago.

Muskan stated that she learned about the impersonation through her mother, who called from Vapi after receiving a follow request from the fake profile. “My mother told me that the account had my name and photos with my old friend, Kasif Khan. I was shocked because I had never created such an account or posted those pictures,” the complaint reads.

The Instagram profile, which was set to private, used Muskan’s full name, photographs, and personal images taken from her social media history. A screenshot of the account was attached to the complaint as evidence. The link of the fake account was also shared with the police.

Muskan’s father, Rameshwar Yadav, and mother have been listed as witnesses in the case. The complainant told police that she decided to file a formal complaint after confirming that the impersonator had been active for several weeks.

Sola High Court Police have registered the complaint under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act for online impersonation and misuse of personal information.

Police said they are working with the Cyber Crime Cell to trace the IP address and device details linked to the fake Instagram account.

“The impersonation appears to have been done with the intent to harass or defame the complainant. We are verifying the origin of the account and will issue a notice to Meta for technical data,” said a senior officer.