“Investigating”: Cops After Dhruv Rathee Parody Account Posts Fake News

According to the state cyber department, the account with the handle @dhruvrahtee had claimed on X that Om Birla’s daughter had cleared the UPSC exam

Maharashtra’s cyber police have registered a case after popular YouTuber Dhruv Rathee’s spoof account on X posted an alleged fake message about Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s daughter, a senior official said on Saturday.

According to the state cyber department, the account with the handle @dhruvrahtee had claimed on X that Birla’s daughter had cleared the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam without appearing for it.

The X bio of the account reads, “This is the fan and parody account and not affiliated with the original account of @dhruv_rathee. Not impersonating anyone. This account is Parody.”

Acting on a complaint by a relative of Birla, police booked the YouTuber under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections for defamation, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, and statement leading to mischief, as well as the IT Act, the official said.

When pointed out that the alleged fake message was posted by a parody account and not the one belonging to Mr Rathee, the official said, “We are investigating the matter.”

The parody account on Saturday posted another tweet saying, “As directed by @MahaCyber1, I have deleted all my posts and comments on Anjali Birla, I will like to apologize as I was unaware about the facts and copied someone else’ tweets and shared it.”

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1. Source check everything: Don’t trust a headline or claim at face value. Look for the original source of the information and verify its credibility. Reliable news organizations will cite their sources and provide evidence to support their claims.
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5. Report misinformation: If you see a tweet spreading false information, you can report it to Twitter for review. Reporting helps Twitter identify and remove harmful content.
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Remember: Internet influencing is a powerful tool. By being critical of the information shared by influencers and actively fact-checking, you can help combat the spread of misinformation on Twitter (X).