Congress alleges BJP citing 'fake toolkit' to defame it, threatens legal action
New Delhi, May 18: The Congress on Tuesday accused the BJP of propagating a "fake toolkit" to defame it and said it would lodge a police complaint against the ruling party chief JP Nadda and its spokesperson Sambit Patra.
The opposition party alleged on its Twitter handle that instead of helping people during the COVID-19 pandemic, the BJP is stooping to low-level politics.
"BJP is propagating a fake 'toolkit' on 'COVID-19 mismanagement' and attributing it to AICC Research Department. We are filing an FIR for forgery against JP Nadda and Sambit Patra," Congress' research cell head Rajeev Gowda said on Twitter.
"When our country is devastated by COVID, instead of providing relief, BJP shamelessly concocts forgeries," he also alleged.
The opposition party was reacting after the BJP alleged that the Congress wants to tarnish the image of the country and Prime Minister Narendra Modi by calling the new strain of the coronavirus the "India strain" or the "Modi strain".
Citing a purported Congress toolkit, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra said according to the document, it is clear that the Congress extending help to the needy during the pandemic is "more of a public relations exercise with the help of friendly journalists and influencers than a soulful endeavour".
However, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate at a virtual press conference claimed that there is no such document as shown by the BJP spokesperson and the party was initiating legal action.
The party's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "Soon after the BJP forged the 'fake toolkit', all its 'fake devotees' and 'friends in the media' came out to set the agenda."
"We are going to file a case against BJP President JP Nadda and his spokespersons, but the truth about their misdeeds will not be left hidden," he said.
Shrinate alleged that the government's priorities are misplaced as it was resorting to such "tactics" instead of helping the COVID affected.
"We never expected that the national spokesperson of the BJP would resort to such blatant lies," she said.
Meanwhile, Nadda hit out the Congress, alleging that the opposition party is a "master" at "dividing society and spewing venom against others".
"India is seeing the Congress' antics, while the nation is fighting COVID-19. I would urge Congress to go beyond 'Toolkit Models' and do something constructive," the BJP chief tweeted.
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FIR filed after e-commerce platform linked tech firm alleges SMS spoofing fraud
Bengaluru (PTI): An FIR has been registered against unknown people for allegedly sending fraudulent messages in the name of an e-commerce platform with promises of cash rewards, further disrupting its operations, police said on Wednesday.
The offence is said to have taken place between April 23 and April 27, they said.
A representative of city-based technology company Hiveloop Technology Pvt Ltd (HTPL), part of the Udaan group (eB2B platform), has lodged a complaint alleging a large-scale SMS spoofing fraud following which a detailed investigation has been initiated into the matter, a senior police officer said.
According to the FIR, HTPL is a registered entity on the TRAI-mandated DLT platform, which permits only pre-approved SMS templates and whitelisted URLs to be sent through authorised sender IDs.
The issue came to light on April 23, when HTPL received alerts from buyers about fraudulent SMS messages appearing to originate from the company's sender ID "UDAANN". The messages reportedly contained Bitly links and falsely claimed a credit of Rs 10,001, urging recipients to withdraw money, it said.
On April 27, at around 12:49 pm, the DLT platform blacklisted HTPL's SMS templates, citing their alleged use in sending fraudulent messages. Within minutes, the company's sender ID was also blacklisted. Airtel's DLT system subsequently confirmed the action and shared details of the fraudulent messages that were circulated in HTPL's name without its knowledge or consent, the FIR stated.
Following this, the company's messaging operations were affected, and even legitimate communications such as one-time passwords to buyers began failing. Later, the DLT operator suspended HTPL's entire account following complaints raised on TRAI's Chakshu platform, bringing all SMS services of the company to a halt, it further stated.
HTPL has stated that neither it nor its authorised vendors sent the fraudulent messages. The links embedded in the messages reportedly redirected users to an online betting website, the FIR stated.
The company has claimed that the incident has resulted in a complete breakdown of SMS-based services, including buyer authentication, order updates and promotional communication, leading to significant financial losses.
At least 13 victims have been identified so far, with the possibility of more affected users. Victims were allegedly directed to an online betting platform, raising concerns of potential financial fraud, the FIR added.
