YouTuber ‘Doot Sameer’ issued police notice over Soujanya case video
Bengaluru: The police have issued a notice to YouTuber Sameer M.D., known as Doot Sameer, following the release of his video on the Soujanya rape and murder case, which gained widespread attention across the state and the country.
Police officials had arrived at Sameer’s residence with the intention of arresting him. However, after he assured them of his cooperation in the investigation, they issued a formal notice and left. Sameer later spoke about the incident in a YouTube live broadcast.
“The police notice arrived at 10:45 PM. However, I have no fear because everything I stated in my video about the Soujanya case is backed by evidence. As soon as the video reached one million views, my personal information, including my address, was leaked on social media. Shortly after, I began receiving multiple death threats. I had no confidence that the police would provide me protection. So, I immediately reached out to Mahesh Shetty Timarodi and his team, who have been actively fighting for justice in the Soujanya case. They encouraged me and arranged legal support,” Sameer revealed in his video.
He further added, “As the threat calls intensified, I requested another Soujanya case activist, Girish Mattanavar, to come to my house. The police arrived at my residence while Girish Mattanavar was present. Before making the video, I had no prior acquaintance with either Girish Mattanavar or Mahesh Shetty Timarodi.”
Meanwhile, Girish Mattanavar clarified that Sameer did not name any individual in his video and that he had presented all relevant evidence. “Sameer has not made any controversial statements. Everyone should see Soujanya as their own daughter and come together to fight for justice,” he urged.
DGP issues statewide alert to police
In response to the viral video, the Director General of Police (DGP) issued instructions for heightened vigilance across the state to prevent any law and order disturbances.
On Wednesday, the DGP sent a fax directive to all district Superintendents of Police (SPs), expressing displeasure over the failure to inform higher authorities about the video in time. He highlighted that a person named Sameer had recently released a video on social media regarding the Soujanya murder case that took place in Dharmasthala.
The directive warned that the video had sparked public debate, with divided opinions emerging on social media, potentially leading to law and order issues. Officials were instructed to immediately activate social media monitoring cells and keep a close watch on related posts. They were also directed to report the actions taken to the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) – Law and Order.
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Pakistan-allied hackers launched 15 lakh cyber attacks on Indian websites; only 150 successful
Mumbai, May 13 (PTI): Maharashtra Cyber has identified seven Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups responsible for launching over 15 lakh cyber attacks targeting critical infrastructure websites across India following the Pahalgam terror strike.
Of these, only 150 attacks were successful, officials said on Monday.
Even after India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop military hostilities, Indian government websites are facing a barrage of cyber attacks from the neighbouring country as well as from Bangladesh and the Middle Eastern region, they said.
Addressing reporters, a senior official of Maharashtra Cyber debunked claims of hackers stealing data from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, hacking aviation and municipal systems, and targeting the Election Commission website.
"The probe discovered that cyber attacks on (government websites in) India decreased after India-Pakistan ceased hostilities, but not fully stopped. These attacks continue from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Morocco, and Middle Eastern countries," he said.
In a report titled "Road of Sindoor", prepared under the military operation launched by the Indian armed forces under the same name against terrorists, the state’s nodal cyber agency has detailed the cyber warfare launched by Pakistan-allied hacking groups.
The report has been submitted to all key law enforcement agencies, including the Director General of Police and the State Intelligence Department.
According to the report, these cyber attacks originated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Middle East, and an Indonesian group, said Yashasvi Yadav, Additional Director General of Police, Maharashtra Cyber.
The methods used included malware campaigns, Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, and GPS spoofing. The defacement of Indian websites was also reported.
He said many such attacks were thwarted, and critical infrastructure of India was saved.
"Road of Sindoor" is a follow-up to Maharashtra Cyber's earlier report, "Echoes of Pahalgam", which documented cyber attacks following the Pahalgam terror incident.
The seven hacking groups identified in the report are APT 36 (Pakistan-based), Pakistan Cyber Force, Team Insane PK, Mysterious Bangladesh, Indo Hacks Sec, Cyber Group HOAX 1337, and National Cyber Crew (Pakistan-allied).
These groups collectively launched approximately 1.5 million targeted cyber attacks on Indian infrastructure, Yadav said.
Among the 150 successful attacks, the Kulgaon Badlapur Municipal Council website was defaced.
The attackers also claimed to have stolen data from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), as well as from telecom companies, with some of the data allegedly appearing on the darknet.
Additionally, the website of the Defence Nursing College in Jalandhar was defaced.
The report also highlights a hybrid warfare strategy by Pakistan-allied groups that includes widespread misinformation campaigns. These groups falsely claimed to have hacked India's banking system and caused power outages.
Maharashtra Cyber identified and removed over 5,000 instances of misinformation and fake news related to India-Pakistan military conflicts that were circulating on social media.
Of 80 specific misinformation cases flagged for take-down, 35 have been removed, with the remaining 45 pending action.
These false narratives included claims of cyber attacks on India’s power grid, statewide blackouts, satellite jamming, disruption of the Northern Command, and an alleged attack on a BrahMos missile storage facility, Yadav said.
He said Maharashtra Cyber has urged citizens not to believe in or spread misinformation and to verify news through trusted and official sources.
