Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has warned citizens to be alert against online scams, saying, “Most of these financial fraud platforms are run by foreign operators. People should keep in mind that any kind of offers coming to their mobile phones are a trap for financial fraud.” He was speaking at a programme on social media monitoring through the ‘Garud Drishti’ system, organised by the City Police Commissionerate, where Rs 10 crore was distributed to 200 victims of cyber fraud.

 

The event was presided over by Police Commissioner Dr Ravinder Kumar Singal. Police Commissioner Dr Ravinder Kumar Singal, Joint Commissioner of Police Navinchandra Reddy, Addl CPs Vasant Pardeshi, Rajendra Dabhade, Shivaji Rathod, and other senior police officers were present on the occasion. Fadnavis further said that while social media is useful for sharing ideas, it is also being misused by anti-social elements. “We see some using this platform to spread hatred, threats, fake news, drug trafficking and even carry out financial fraud.

 

Many of these are controlled by foreign powers, and there is no system to regulate them,” he said. He added that Maharashtra now has one of the best systems and technologies in the world to curb such crimes. “Garud Drishti is playing an important role in catching such people and taking immediate action,” he said. He urged victims of cybercrime to report cases immediately and those who have recovered their money to spread awareness. “Think that nothing is free. Be alert, and help others stay alert,” he appealed. CM Fadnavis congratulated the people who got their money back. CP Dr Singal gave the introduction, while DCP Cyber Lohit Matani made a presentation on ‘Garud Drishti’ before the programme. Joint CP Reddy expressed his thanks to the dignitaries present.

 

 

Rohit Agarwal – Rs 73 lakh; Shashikant Narayan Parande – Rs 34,77,724; Devidas Parkhi – Rs 35,15,842; Vijay Prakash Pathak – Rs 19,90,354; Vijay Menghani – Rs 19 lakh; Devendra Kharate – Rs 12,81,000; Rajmani Ajay Joshi – Rs 29,95,000; Rahul Chawda – Rs 15 lakh; Buddhapal Bagade – Rs 10 lakh; Aditya Goenka – Rs 26,20,556; Sangeeta Ashtankar – Rs 8,24,000. (These are representative names.) 

 

 

The Chief Minister also shared an incident where someone tried to misuse his identity. While AI technology has brought progress, it is also creating many problems due to its misuse. In my case, someone took a video of my speech, used my photo and promoted a medicine with it. Luckily, we noticed it in time and took appropriate action,” he said.