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Two held in MP by Gujarat police for threats to disrupt India-Australia match
The Gujarat police are investigating the threats allegedly made by pro-Khalistani groups of disrupting the India-Australia test match series in Ahmedabad
The Gujarat Crime Branch’s cyber cell arrested two persons from Madhya Pradesh for issuing threats to disrupt the India vs Australia cricket match held last week at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The police are investigating the threats allegedly made by pro-Khalistani groups of disrupting the India-Australia test match series in Ahmedabad.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese watched the fourth test match between India and Australia on its first day on March 9. The two Prime Ministers took a lap of honour at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad’s Motera on a golf car on Thursday after they arrived to watch the first day of the fourth Test match between Australia and India.
“People of Gujarat, stay home and stay safe on March 9 (the day of opening of match between India and Australia) because pro-Khalistani Sikhs are going to storm Narendra Modi stadium and install Khalistani flag,” said a message relayed through bulk messaging and mass voice call. A number of people in Gujarat have received this recorded voice message on their mobile phones.
The accused were allegedly using SIM box technology, where a device is used to bypass international calling rates by fraudulently routing international calls through local phone numbers. The SIM Box technology works by inserting a large number of SIM cards into a device.
“We have detained two persons today from Rewa district and busted a centre set up there for call spoofing. We have recovered 11 SIM boxes, around 250-300 SIM cards and about 4 routers. We have nabbed the two persons who were working at operators at this facility,” said assistant commissioner of police (cyber crime), Jitendra Yadav.
The accused have been identified as Rahul Kumar and Narendra Kushwaha, who hail from Satna in MP.
The threat was issued on a recorded message, and the call is jumped, spoofed in such a way that it becomes difficult to trace, said Yadav.
Apart from recorded voice messages, a video was also circulated on social media groups issuing threats to storm the match which is being investigated by the police.
The messages, released purportedly by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, founder of US-based terrorist organisation ‘Sikhs for Justice’, threatened to disrupt the cricket match, with police saying it was aimed at creating panic among people.
