Bareilly police arrests mastermind behind fake news from Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara district

Bareilly (UP), Sep 11 (PTI) The alleged mastermind behind a social media network operating in the name of "Haidari Dal" that was spreading fake news and inflammatory posts aimed at disturbing communal harmony was arrested on Thursday, police said.

Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Manush Parikh said several cases were already registered against social media accounts under the name "Haidari Dal Bareilly" for allegedly attempting to incite religious sentiments, posting objectionable content against women and disturbing public peace.

Despite earlier action, the accounts were revived and continued posting fake news and provocative material. A fresh case was registered on September 3, he said.

With the help of the cyber and surveillance cell, the police tracked the operator to the Chhindwara district in Madhya Pradesh.

The accused was identified as Akbar Ali, son of Ikhlaq Hussain, a native of Awajipur village in the Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh, presently residing in Patel Colony under Sausar police station limits in Madhya Pradesh, officials said.

During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to running multiple accounts to spread fake news, including "Haidari Dal Official" with 35,000 followers, "Team Haidari Dal" with 1,350 followers, and another account called "Rashtriya TV" with 144 followers.

Ali, the alleged mastermind, picked up videos of incidents from other places, edited them and circulated them as fresh incidents to create communal tension, the police said. PTI COR ABN MNK MNK