Cyber fraudster targets Kerala Police, impersonates district chief in WhatsApp scam
Kollam (Kerala) (PTI): Police have launched an investigation after a cyber fraudster attempted to cheat cops in this south Kerala district by impersonating the district police chief and seeking money through a bogus WhatsApp account, a police official said on Monday.
A case has been registered at the Kollam Cyber Police Station.
According to police sources, several officials in Kollam Rural Police received messages last week from a WhatsApp number, +9779702927435, which carried the profile picture of District Police Chief Vishu Pratheep TK in uniform.
"The impersonator initiated chats with police personnel and requested a transfer of Rs 40,000, citing an urgent requirement. However, alert officials, aware of similar cyber frauds reported across the state, immediately informed senior officers,” a police officer said.
Police officials said that no one lost money in the attempt.
The Social Media Monitoring Cell later alerted the Cyber Police Station, and a case was registered under the sections 318(4) (cheating) and 3(5) (committing crime with common intention) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) as well as sections 66C (identity theft) and 66D (cheating by personation using a computer resource or communication device) of the Information Technology Act, police sources said.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the fraudster requested the transfer to a bank account in Songate, New Delhi. Police are tracing the account holder to check for links to other fraud cases.
Kerala has witnessed several similar scams in recent years, in which fraudsters have posed as senior police officers, bureaucrats, politicians, or businessmen.
In separate incidents, finance officers of two major firms in the state lost money after receiving fraudulent requests from impersonators posing as their managing directors, police added.
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Karnataka School Edu Dept prohibits children from being made to dance to obscene songs
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka School Education Department has issued a circular strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs in educational and cultural programmes.
It stated that such dances would negatively impact students' mental health and moral values. It will create indiscipline and harm the sanctity of education.
"All the Deputy Directors (Administration) of the state's School Education Department have been asked to take strict measures to prevent children or students from dancing to obscene songs in all government, aided and unaided schools in the state," the office of the commissioner of the School Education Department said in a recent circular.
"If it is found that children are being made to dance to obscene songs, appropriate action will be taken against the headmaster or management of such school," it added.
The department also listed certain measures in this regard, which include: strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes; selecting songs that are inspiring, positive, instilling national pride in children and reflecting the greatness, dignity, values, culture, and morality of the state.
Stating that the school headmaster and management are responsible for selecting songs and dances for cultural programmes, it said, they should also ensure that students wear decent clothes in dance or cultural programmes.
