Kerala Police intensifies probe into IAS officer’s controversial 'group'

Thiruvananthapuram: Two days after a Minister assured that an investigation will be done into a WhatsApp group named 'Mallu Hindu Officers', the Kerala Police team have intensified their probe.

This group is allegedly administered by Kerala Industry and Commerce Director K. Gopalakrishnan. The IAS official has already registered a complaint that his phone was hacked.

By now, the police team has taken over the two mobile phones which were used by the IAS officer.

Gopalakrishnan uses two mobile phones, an Android and an iPhone and it was in the Android phone on which the Group was created.

The police probe team has already approached Whats App and Meta to help them speed up the probe and according to sources, there has been some headway in the probe.

The so-called group had 11 Hindu IAS officers and it was last week that this issue surfaced and became a controversy.

When officials informed Gopalakrishnan, the account disappeared.

Soon the official approached the Cyber wing of Kerala Police and registered a complaint. He pointed out that his phone was hacked and wanted a probe into it.

Things would have gone unnoticed had some members who were added in the group not raised apprehensions and quick to act was the official who sent a message: “Dear all, it appears that someone has taken control of my mobile device, creating 11 groups and adding all my contacts. I have uninstalled the app, manually removed the groups from my WhatsApp, and will be changing my phone soon.”

The message was marked with the subject line: “Important Notice.”

It was the state's Industries Minister P. Rajeeve, under whom Gopalakrishnan is posted, who said that the entire issue will be examined and also pointed out that the media has also reported that a similar group of Muslim officials was also created.