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AAP Vadodara chief, aide held for impersonating IB official: Police
AAP’s Vadodara city president, aid were arrested for allegedly making fake IB calls to intimidate a party worker.
Police have arrested two persons, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s Vadodara city president, for allegedly impersonating Intelligence Bureau (IB) officers and threatening party workers over an internal party dispute.
Police began investigating after AAP leader Durgesh Pathak alleged on social media that party workers in Gujarat were receiving threatening calls from individuals claiming to be IB officials. The allegation was later amplified by AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, who questioned the calls and said he had personally contacted the number.
Kejriwal reposted Pathak’s allegation and questioned under what law such verification was being carried out. He had urged party workers to publicise similar calls if they received them.
Anand Superintendent of Police (SP) G.G. Jasani said that a mobile number mentioned in social media posts was traced to a resident of Anand district. Further investigation led police to Nitin Dobariya, a resident of Anand, and Ashok Oza, president of AAP’s Vadodara city unit.
Police said that Oza had called Dobariya to Vadodara and that a call was made from Dobariya’s phone to AAP worker Keshav Chauhan. During the call, the caller allegedly identified himself as an IB officer and threatened Chauhan under the pretext of a verification exercise.
Police suspect the motive was an internal rivalry within the party. Officers said that Chauhan had been assigned organisational work in Vadodara, following which Oza allegedly viewed him as a political rival. The call was allegedly part of a planned attempt to force Chauhan to leave the city.
An FIR was registered at the Anand Cyber Crime Police Station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.
