Hyderabad: Police arrest four for fake video

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad cybercrime police arrested four persons for circulating an old video with false information regarding the election process, causing it to go viral.

According to the cybercrime police, on May 15, they received a complaint from a person who said that while he was browsing social media platforms like X and Facebook as part of social media surveillance, he came across a video in which a person at a polling station was seen voting multiple times and saying it happened at a polling station in Bahadurpura (Old City), Hyderabad, during the recent Lok Sabha elections held on May 13. However, it was discovered that the alleged video was an old recording from the 2022 West Bengal elections.

The police stated that the video spread virally across various social media platforms and could undermine public trust and confidence in India’s electoral system. Some individuals are sharing this old video from the West Bengal elections, spreading false information about rigging in Old City, Hyderabad, they said. Based on the complaint, cybercrime police registered a case in U/Sec 66(D) of the IT Act, U/Sec 505(1)(C), 171-C r/w 171-F of the IPC, and the investigation is ongoing.

During the investigation, four accused persons were identified who posted the video on X and circulated it. Without verifying its accuracy, they tagged others with the intention of inciting calls for re-elections in Hyderabad. The cybercrime police traced and apprehended the accused persons, including Vurapalli Sravan from Malkajigiri, Mohammed Bin Ali Al Gutmi from Nampally, Piddamulla Kashi from Chaderghat, and Kanukati Mithilesh from Chikkadpally. They were arrested and presented before the XII ACMM Court, Nampally, Hyderabad.