Mumbai Police Book Social Media Influencer Urfi Javed for Faking Arrest in Viral Video
Police Say Video Was Created for Cheap Publicity and Misrepresented the Department's Stance on Obscenity
The Mumbai police on Friday booked social media influencer and 'Bigg Boss' contestant Urfi Javed for maligning their image through a fake arrest video, an official said.
Javed, who is often in news for her fashion choices, and her associates staged a “raid” where a few people personated as police officials to take “action” against her for wearing skimpy outfits. A reel of the act, deemed defamatory by the police, went viral on social media.
“A viral video of a woman being allegedly arrested by Mumbai Police, in a case of obscenity is not true - insignia & uniform has been misused,” the police said on social media platform X after the ‘Urfi Javed arrested’ video went viral.
"One Can't Violate Law Of The Land, For Cheap Publicity!", said the post.
One Can’t Violate Law Of The Land, For Cheap Publicity !
A viral video of a woman being allegedly arrested by Mumbai Police, in a case of obscenity is not true - insignia & uniform has been misused.
However, a criminal case has been registered against those involved in the… — मुंबई पोलीस - Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) November 3, 2023
According to the police, "a criminal case has been registered at Oshiwara Pstn under sections 171, 419, 500, and 34 IPC against those involved in the misleading video."
The police said, "The fake inspector is under arrest and the vehicle has been seized too, while further investigation is ongoing."
The Indian Penal Code (IPC) has two sections: section 419 addresses defrauding by personation, while section 171 addresses "wearing garb or carrying token used by public servant with fraudulent intent." The penalties for defamation and common purpose are covered by IPC sections 500 and 34, respectively.
The police claimed in a statement that the self-publicity clip went viral on social media and misrepresented the department's stance on those who dress skimpily.
According to the statement, Javed, two other ladies who pretended to be constables, and a male acquaintance who pretended to be a police officer were all charged under different IPC sections in the FIR (first information report).
An official from the Oshiwara police station said that accused Ganpatbhai Sawajibhai Makwana, who portrayed a police officer in the video, has received a notice under CrPC section 41A.
The appearance before a police officer is covered in this section.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
