Bhopal/Damoh, Oct 24: In a brazen bid to exploit trust and siphon funds from unsuspecting contacts, cybercriminals allegedly created a fake WhatsApp account impersonating Damoh District Collector Sudhir Kochhar, using fabricated documents and a Vietnamese country code to mask their tracks.

The audacious scheme, targeting the collector’s personal network of friends and associates, was thwarted before it could blossom into a full-blown cyber crisis, thanks to the vigilant intervention of the district administration and police.

The impostor account, complete with the collector’s profile picture and official details, began dispatching urgent messages soliciting financial aid under false pretences – ranging from fabricated emergencies to urgent “official” transfers.

Recipients, believing the pleas emanated from the trusted IAS officer, were moments away from compliance when the ruse unravelled.

Collector Kochhar, upon receiving wind of the anomaly through a tip-off from a wary contact, wasted no time in alerting Superintendent of Police Shrutkirti Somvanshi.

“As soon as the information surfaced, my e-governance and cyber teams swung into action,” Kochhar recounted in a press briefing at the SP’s office.

“We traced the suspicious activity within hours, preventing any pecuniary loss.”

A formal complaint against an unidentified perpetrator was promptly lodged at the Damoh SP office, invoking provisions under the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for identity theft and attempted fraud.

The cyber cell of Madhya Pradesh Police in Damoh, a specialised unit equipped with advanced forensic tools, has since launched a meticulous probe.

Investigators are delving into digital footprints, including IP logs, device metadata, and the forged credentials used to register the account via WhatsApp’s Vietnamese (+84) prefix – a common ploy to evade Indian jurisdiction and detection algorithms.

“The fraudsters’ use of international codes underscores their sophistication, but our team is collaborating with national cyber agencies to unmask them,” affirmed SP Somvanshi, emphasising round-the-clock monitoring.

This incident is not an isolated skirmish in Madhya Pradesh’s escalating cyber warfare.

Statewide, cyber frauds have surged by 45 per cent in 2025, per Madhya Pradesh Police data, with impersonation scams claiming over Rs 150 crore in losses.

High-profile targets like district collectors are prime prey, as seen in recent cases from neighbouring Gwalior and Sagar, where fake profiles duped officials into transferring lakhs.

Nationally, similar ruses have ensnared bureaucrats in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, where fraudsters posed as superiors to extract funds via WhatsApp.

Underscoring the gravity, Collector Kochhar issued a stark public advisory: “I maintain no personal IDs on any social media or messaging platforms. Disregard any such accounts purporting to be mine.”

He urged citizens to abstain from engaging with unsolicited requests for money, sharing sensitive details, or initiating transactions, labelling such overtures as hallmarks of cyber entrapment.

“Report anomalies immediately to 1930, the national cyber helpline, or your local police. Vigilance is our collective shield,” he urged, flanked by cyber cell officers demonstrating scam-spotting techniques.

Jaipur, Oct 24: The members of the Advisory Board on Friday held a three-hour hearing at Jodhpur Central Jail in Rajasthan to review the detention of environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA).

The three-member panel arrived at the jail around 10:30 a.m. from the Jodhpur Circuit House to record Wangchuk’s statements and review documents related to the case. Wangchuk’s wife, Geetanjali Angmo, was also present during the proceedings.

The hearing was conducted by Advisory Board Chairman and former judge M.K. Hujura, District Judge Manoj Parihar and social activist Spal Jayesh Angmo.

The Advisory Board is a special constitutional body constituted under the National Security Act (NSA) 1980, which reviews cases of preventive detention

The closed-door session reportedly focused on the reasons cited by the administration for invoking the NSA and Wangchuk’s representation challenging the same.

Sonam Wangchuk, a well-known innovator and environmentalist from Ladakh, was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) earlier this year. The move triggered nationwide protests and legal challenges, with several rights groups calling the detention arbitrary.

The Supreme Court is also hearing petitions against the government’s action.

Wangchuk’s wife, Geetanjali Angmo, stated that their legal team has challenged both the grounds of detention and the procedural lapses in the case. She alleged that Wangchuk’s statements and videos were distorted and presented out of context, forming a misleading basis for the NSA order.

It determines whether the detention has adequate justification. The board comprises three members, all of whom are sitting or former High Court judges, appointed by the Chief Justice of the High Court of the respective state.

The government must submit all relevant documents to the board within three weeks of detention, and the board must send its report within seven weeks.

Proceedings remain confidential, and detainees are heard in person without the presence of lawyers. The board’s recommendations will determine whether Wangchuk’s detention under the NSA continues or is revoked, said officials.

Kolkata, Oct 24: The police, on early Friday morning, detained a 14-year-old boy on charges of raping a five-year-old girl at Kolaghat in East Midnapore district in West Bengal.

The accused, a minor, will be presented at a Juvenile Justice Court in the same district later in the afternoon, a police official from East Midnapore District Police confirmed.

There are further charges against the accused that he threatened to kill the victim in case she divulged about the sexual crime committed on her to anyone, including her parents.

It is learnt that the victim went to the accused’s residence in the morning of October 22. As per the police complaint lodged by the victim’s parents, the accused raped their daughter at his residence, taking advantage of the absence of other family members at home.

Initially, as per the police complaint, the victim did not speak about the sexual crime committed on her to her parents. However, finally on Wednesday, as she started to feel some physical uneasiness, she divulged the details to her parents.

On Thursday morning, the victim’s parents first went to the house of the accused and narrated the entire incident to the parents of the accused. However, as told by the victim’s parents to the police, the parents of the accused not only rejected their accusations but also got them beaten up.

Thereafter, the victim’s parents lodged an official complaint against the accused at the local Kolaghat Police Station. The police lodged a case and finally arrested the accused. Since he is also a minor, he has been booked under certain sections of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015.

“Initially, my daughter did not divulge anything to us. But later, as she started to feel pain in her abdomen, she divulged everything. We want the strictest of punishment for the accused,” the victim’s mother said.