Published Aug 12, 2023 | 9:22 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 12, 2023 | 10:15 PM
The fake website was created with the intention to target the Karnataka Congress leaders. (Screenshot)
The Bengaluru police, probing the spoof website targeting the Karnataka Congress, have unearthed a link to a political consultancy firm hired by the BJP for its Karnataka election strategy and campaign.
In a note on the case, the police said they have arrested three people for developing the fake website and uploading alarming or rumour-mongering content in the name of Karnataka Congress. The note also added that the police are on the lookout for one Shashank Bharadwaj, who is absconding, who is linked to Varahe Analytics.
Varahe Anaytics is a political consultancy firm that was hired by the BJP for election strategy and campaign management during the Karnataka Assembly elections.
Several members of Varahe Analytics were previously part of BJP’s popular political consultancy firm — ABM. Varahe Analytics has worked with BJP in Goa, Assam, and Uttarakhand, according to the company’s website.
On Thursday, 10 August, the Bengaluru Cyber Crime Police arrested three people in connection with the case involving the hacking of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) website and also a spoof website that contained communally inflammatory content aimed at disrupting harmony.
This occurred in February this year, just a couple of months before the Karnataka Assembly elections in May. The KPCC’s legal team had filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime Police in Bengaluru in the regard.
The arrested accused have been identified as Dharnesh Jain, heading a technology firm named Vet Fab Technologies Private Limited, his associate Siddarth, and one of their employees Venkatesh.
According to the police, Jain made the payment for hosting the website, while Siddarth and Venkatesh developed the web pages and the fake e-mail ID, a senior CCB official told South First.
The Cyber Crime Police are on the lookout for the prime accused, Shashank Bharadwaj, who has been absconding since the case was registered in February.
A note by the police on the case reads, “In this case, one Shashank Bharadwaj, a native of Hassan and a common friend of the accused Director working for Varahe Analytical company (Electoral Campaign Management), had approached and got this fake website made. He paid ₹25,000 and took commission (SIC).”
Senior police sources told South First that Bharadwaj approached Vet Fab Technologies Private Limited — belonging to Dharnesh Jain — and paid him ₹25,000 to develop the website. CCB officials added that one more suspect, identified as Arun, was also detained. However, since there was no evidence against him, he was released with a police notice.
“Our men have collected a lot of technical evidence against the three — Dharnesh Jain, Siddarth, and Venkatesh — and since the sections booked are bailable offences, we have let them go on bail after recording their statements,” Joint Commissioner of Police SD Sharanappa told South First.
On 3 February this year, Shivanna, an Executive Committee Member of the KPCC Legal Cell, filed a complaint regarding some unknown person/s impersonating the KPCC. He stated that they had developed a fake website and were involved in disseminating false and inaccurate information.
Based on Shivanna’s complaint, the Cyber Crime Police registered a criminal case under Sections 66(c) (identity theft), 66(D) (cheating by impersonation), and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code. Subsequently, an investigation was taken up.
Based on the information gathered during the course of the investigation, the Cyber Crime Police learnt that emails were sent to service providers and intermediaries to provide hosting details of the fake website. Upon receipt of inputs, further requests were sent to the service providers to provide the registrant details including payment etc.
Further scrutiny revealed a company named Vet Fab Technologies Private Limited, registered in Hassan with a branch office in Bengaluru, had developed the fake website and uploaded rumour-mongering content with the intent to create or promote hatred and enmity and also disseminate inaccurate details. The cops then identified the people directly involved in the designing of the fake website.
The police team then conducted coordinated raids at the company premises — at both branches in Hassan and Bengaluru — and secured the three accused on 10 August. The cops also seized three mobiles, one laptop, a credit card, and documents containing incriminating information.
“Following the complaint, Bharadwaj had spoken to the company directors and his friends, who made this website, and asked them to delete it. In this regard, the cops have procured the discussion and chats on WhatsApp between the accused persons as evidence,” a senior police officer told South First
Further investigations are underway.
