Published Sep 16, 2026 | 4:50 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 16, 2026 | 5:10 PM
Andhra Pradesh police pretended to be FBI to get X take down a few posts.
Synopsis: It was the Andhra Pradesh Police’s attempt to get X to do their bidding. The cops decided to go “global” to get X Corp to take down a few tweets. But why did the police pretend to be the FBI? A SouthFirst investigation has come up with the answers.
If a common person had misrepresented themselves as part of an international investigative agency, the Andhra Pradesh police would have filed a case and arrested them on charges of impersonation and fraud.
But what happens when the police misrepresent themselves and pose as “FBI”? An email communication by X Corp alleges just that.
The bizarre attempt was aimed at getting X Corp to take down certain social media posts demanding accountability from the N Chandrababu Naidu government over the conduct of the District Selection Committee (DSC) recruitment process.
The unravelling began when YSRCP member Nagarjuna Yadav, who goes by the X handle @ImYanamala, received an email from X on July 28, 2026, at 6.25 PM, saying law enforcement authorities have flagged his tweets.
The opening sentence of the email surprised Yadav.
“In the interest of transparency, we are writing to inform you that X has received a request from the FBI regarding your X account that claims the following content violates Indian law”, it read.
The words “FBI” and “Indian Law” made Yadav curious. He wrote back to X, seeking clarification and any documents the platform may have received to support action against his posts.
Yadav received a response from X at 1.15 pm on September 13. It told him that the “FBI” was based in Guntur.
“The request was submitted from guntururbansp-ap@gov.in. Our prior email inadvertently stated that the request was from “FBI” because the individual wrote “FBI” as the sender organisation when submitting the request. However, this request did not come from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and it is unclear why the Andhra Pradesh Police wrote “FBI” as the sender organisation,” X Corp’s reply read.
The mail, which explicitly questioned the rationale behind the Andhra Police getting into the FBI’s shoes, also detailed the request:
“[=]== Reporter information === Your full name: > A V B**M Job title: > INSPECTOR OF POLICE Organization: > FBI Your email: > guntururbansp-ap@gov.in Street address: > Guntur City: > GUNTUR State/Province: > Andhra Pradesh Postal code: > 522261 Country: > IN Phone number: > 8***0 Fax number (optional): > [Empty] Country where content is at issue: > IN.” (Note: Personal/sensitive details have been withheld as per South First’s privacy protection policy)
South First contacted Guntur Superintendent of Police Vakul Jindal to ask why Andhra Pradesh police claimed to be from the FBI. The officer refused to respond.
Mangalagiri Rural Circle Inspector (CI) AV Brahmam also declined to speak to us.
Police department sources, however, confirmed that they had indeed mentioned “FBI” in their request to X Corp to ensure a response, as their previous appeals to take down tweets had been ignored. They said someone in the police department believed using the FBI’s name would prompt X to respond.
Sources from the police division also told South First that communication with intermediary platforms like X or Meta comes from the district Superintendent of Police’s office, not the local police division.
Mangalagiri police said CI Brahmam had registered a case against Yadav for alleged derogatory posts against police officers.
However, the tweets cited in the letter to X were only about alleged irregularities in the teachers’ recruitment drive via the DSC.
Yadav’s posts cited by the police to X Corp centred around demanding accountability from the Chandrababu Naidu government and the resignation of Education Minister Nara Lokesh, while drawing parallels to Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation after the NEET exam protests in Delhi.
The first post said: “Another ‘Gen-Z’ movement is about to begin in AP! The patience of unemployed youth, who have studied hard for years, has run out. The time has come for the youth to hit the streets against DSC irregularities, paper-leakage allegations, and a lack of transparency! Now, the Chandrababu government must open its eyes… Taking responsibility for the failures of the education department, Nara Lokesh must be immediately dismissed from the cabinet #GenZMovementAP #DismissNaraLokesh #JusticeForAPYouth #AP_DSC #APPolitics”
The second post said: “Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned over the NEET paper leak, didn’t he… Then when will State Education Minister Nara Lokesh resign over the DSC paper leak? Regarding the DSC paper leak issue, Nara Lokesh must be dismissed from the cabinet.”
The third post said: “You are next, Mr Nara Lokesh..!! Mr. Chandrababu… If there is a place for values in democracy, leave aside nepotism towards your son and dismiss Nara Lokesh from the cabinet.! You must answer the anguish of the unemployed!#DismissNaraLokesh #JusticeForAPStudents”
At a time when the BJP-led Union government is already facing flak for censorship and forcing intermediaries to clamp down on social media content that is critical of the Modi government, police in an NDA-ruled state attempting to pass themselves off as the FBI to pull down tweets raises serious ethical questions about the conduct of the police.
Moreover, attempting censorship by tricking intermediary platforms into responding through fraudulent claims is also something the cops shouldn’t have attempted.
The Andhra Pradesh Police have a lot to answer for—especially against the backdrop of Section 319 (Cheating by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Also Read:
Fake claims, fraud certificates, plump jobs: Mega foul play in Andhra Pradesh DSC’s sports quota
Foul play in recruitment: Paying the price for ignoring SAAP — a breeding ground for irregularities
YS Jagan dares CM Naidu to order CBI probe into alleged DSC recruitment scam
(Edited by Majnu Babu.)
