Vadodara police arrests AAP chief for impersonating as intelligence officer and threatening party workers

Police have arrested the Vadodara city president of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and an associate from Anand for allegedly impersonating an Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer and threatening a party worker under the guise of a verification call. Investigators said the incident stemmed from internal disputes within the party.

The case came to light after a former AAP MLA from Delhi alleged on social media on May 28 that Gujarat Police’s Intelligence Bureau wing was intimidating party workers through verification calls.

The issue was later amplified by former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, who questioned whether Gujarat Police and intelligence agencies were harassing party workers in the name of verification.

During the probe, Anand Cyber Crime Police traced the mobile number mentioned in the social media posts to a local resident. Investigators identified the caller as Nitin Dobariya, originally from Rajkot and currently residing in Anand.

Police said Dobariya, a labour contractor, was acquainted with Vadodara AAP president Ashok Ozha through business dealings. The investigation revealed that Ozha and Dobariya had allegedly conspired to intimidate AAP worker Keshavji Chauhan due to internal party differences.

According to police, on May 28, Ozha allegedly called Dobariya to Vadodara and instructed him to contact Chauhan while falsely claiming to be an IB officer from the Karelibaug office. The caller allegedly threatened Chauhan during verification process.

Investigators further found that the accused used digital tools to create the false impression that the call originated from an Intelligence Bureau official. Following the findings, Anand Cyber Crime Police registered a case and arrested Ozha of Vadodara and Dobariya of Anand.

Police said legal proceedings have been initiated against both accused for impersonation, intimidation and misuse of digital communication channels.