Mumbai: Cyber cons break police shield, create fake Facebook profile of senior cop Nangre-Patil

Emboldened cybercriminals are unsparing on not just common citizens but even police officers themselves. On Saturday, it came to light that cyber fraudsters created a fake Facebook profile of award winning IPS officer Vishwas Nangre-Patil, who serves as the Additional Director General of Police in the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Maharashtra. The incident came to light when the President’s Police Medal winner himself posted this information on Facebook.

Patil put out an alert through a post, “Hello friends, a fraudster has created a fake account in my name and is sending random messages to some of my contacts. I am taking prompt legal action, but please do not respond or share any kind of information as it must be an attempt to dupe! Thanks.”

The cyber police immediately deleted the fake profile and initiated a probe, prompting Patil to respond, “Thanks to the cyber police team, Mumbai, for prompt action and getting my fake Facebook profile account deleted.” Before being promoted in December, Patil was Joint Commissioner of Police (law and order), Mumbai.

Netizens, though, responded acerbically and one of them posted, “Criminals are becoming bold. If they can do this to an IPS officer, what will they do to a common man?” Another commented, “Even the police are not spared. So better not to guess the cybercrime status of our state. How can a common man beat it? How many frauds and cyber crimes are happening?”