Journo held for creating fake email id of CM Yogi

New Delhi: The Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operation (IFSO) Unit of the Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested a journalist for forgery. The accused has been identified as Manoj Kumar Seth (41), a resident of Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

Manoj is accused of creating a fake email ID in the name of Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the police informed on Sunday. During interrogation, Kumar revealed that he is a freelance journalist and also publishes his fortnightly newspaper "Samaj Aina".

He had created the fake email and prepared forged letters to seek advertisement support in favour of his local newspapers, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) KPS Malhotra said.

Rajbhushan Singh Rawat, Personal Secretary to Yogi Adityanath, had filed a complaint with Cyber Cell Economic offence wing (EOW)wherein he had alleged that some unknown people had created a fake email Id purportedly to be shown as CM Yogi Adityanth.

Further, the alleged persons had sent emails and forged letters to Public Sector units including Power Grid Corporation of India, ONGC and GAIL India.

The alleged persons had attached scanned letters wherein they had forged the signatures of Yogi Adityanath. In this regard, the case was registered under appropriate sections of law and an investigation was taken up.

During the investigation, the fake email ID [email protected] was identified and the analysis of the email header was done. The contents of the email were also analysed to understand the motive of the fake email. The email was with the request to release an advertisement in favour of the English newspaper, "Breaking News".

Similarly, fake emails and fake letters were sent to ONGC and GAIL for the advertisement support in favour of TOP News. Through the IP address analysis and human intelligence, Manoj Kumar Seth was identified.

Kumar was aware that his plan was not successful. To evade the police, he was continuously changing his hideouts. He is also involved in an extortion case registered against him in Cuttack on the complaint of an executive engineer of PWD, Odisha, Malhotra added.