Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday initiated legal action following a fake account of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Jammu, Anand Jain appeared on the Facebook social media platform.
During the last one year fake Facebook accounts of ADGP Anand Jain have appeared four times on social media.
On October 5, 2023, Anand Jain, a 1999-batch IPS officer was appointed as Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone. He was later promoted as ADGP.
According to a government order, the 1999-batch IPS officer relieves Mukesh Singh (IPS), ADGP Jammu Zone, of the additional charge of the post he was holding for a long time.
The police spokesman said, "it has come to our attention that a fake Facebook account has been created using the name of Anand Jain with a profile picture of the ADGP and a misleading introduction claiming to be associated with "Department Jammu & Kashmir ADGP, Director, Fire and Emergency Services, J&K." This fraudulent account is being used to mislead the public and exploit their trust."
"We strongly condemn such unethical and fraudulent activities. The public is urged to remain vigilant and avoid responding to messages, friend requests, or any solicitations from such fake profiles," said the spokesperson.
The spokesperson said, "instances of similar scams in the past have led to financial losses and emotional distress for victims."
The Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Jammu Zone, emphasized that this fraudulent act is a serious violation and an attempt to mislead the public, the spokesman said.
He stated, "The Jammu and Kashmir Police take such cyber offenses very seriously. Immediate legal action has been initiated against the individuals involved in this unlawful activity."
A thorough investigation is currently underway, and strict action will be taken as per the law to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable, said the spokesperson.
The public is advised to be cautious and avoid engaging with such fake accounts, report any suspicious online activity to the authorities promptly, rely only on verified and legitimate social media accounts of the Jammu and Kashmir Police for official communication or updates.
"For reference, the official Facebook profile of the ADGP is easily identifiable. Stay alert, stay cautious, and report any suspicious activity," said the Police spokesman.
Earlier on September 17, 2024, Jammu Police flagged a fake Facebook account of ADGP, Jammu zone, Anand Jain, advising people to be cautious and report any suspicious online activity to them.
They urged people to not engage with any such account and refer to verified social media handles of J&K Police for information.
Similarly, in January 2 and February 7, 2024, fake Facebook accounts of Anand Jain were detected, with officials saying they had flagged it and urged people not to interact with it.
"It has come to our attention that there is a fake Facebook account circulating on social media platforms, posing as ADGP Jammu Anand Jain. The account was created by one Ashish Kumar," a police spokesperson said.
During the initial investigation, it was found that the imposter would send people messages from the fake account, introducing himself as Commandant CRPF Bantalab and a close friend of ADGP.
Earlier a fraudster created DGP's fake Whatsapp profile
In November 2023, Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Cyber Cell had initiated action against a fraudster for creating a fake WhatsApp profile number of the then Director General of Police, Rashmi Ranjan Swain.
A fraudster had created a fake WhatsApp profile using the number +998914128090 having a photo of DGP J&K, Rashmi Ranjan Swain, IPS as DP.
