Mumbai: FIR against retired cop’s son for impersonating Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli. Pic/Ashish Raje

The Bandra-Kurla Complex police on Saturday filed an FIR against Siddhesh Ghosalkar, the son of a retired ACP, Sunil Ghosalkar, for allegedly creating a fake account on a social networking site and impersonating cricketer Virat Kohli, besides other charges. Siddhesh allegedly used this account to tag and defame a Khar event licensing company, accusing it of being fraudulent and cheating many clients. ACP Ghosalkar vehemently denied these allegations and stated that if his son's IP address is found to be involved in the investigation, he would not hesitate to have him arrested. ACP Ghosalkar also claimed that the company had taken his retirement money for business purposes but failed to return it and the owner was hence levelling the allegations.

The complainant in the case is Chanchal Singh, 33, who runs Sparsh Liaison Services LLP, located at Khar West. According to police officers, Singh has cordial relations with ACP Ghosalkar due to her brother, Indrajeet's, association with him. In 2020, the retired ACP asked Singh to train his son Siddhesh, who had recently completed his Bachelor of Business Administration degree and was seeking a job. Due to their relations, the company took on training Siddhesh.

‘The demands begin'

However, Siddhesh eventually decided to start his own business and approached Singh for financial support. Singh agreed to lend him money, given her brother's positive rapport with ACP Ghosalkar. Later, Siddhesh allegedly demanded more money from Singh, who refused. In response, as per the complaint, Siddhesh threatened to tarnish the company's reputation in the market.

On November 5, 2021, Siddhesh allegedly hacked one of the company's Facebook accounts and posted defamatory content, including allegations of scamming people and running a fraudulent operation. He also posted negative Google reviews about the company. When Singh confronted Siddhesh about these actions, he admitted to them.

‘Fake profile used'

On November 6, 2022, Siddhesh tagged the complainant's clients in posts claiming that Singh's company was involved in scams and financial exploitation. As per the complaint, he also created a fake Instagram profile impersonating Virat Kohli with the name @virat_kohli_lover1992 and continued to make defamatory remarks about Singh's company. Additionally, Siddhesh posted similar negative comments on the Google review page, accusing Singh's company of fraud, ignoring calls, blocking numbers, and making physical threats.

Furthermore, on March 6, 2022, Siddhesh threatened Singh again, stating that government agencies such as Income Tax, Anti-Corruption Bureau, BMC, Excise, Narcotics, and the Crime Branch were investigating her company. He warned that he would have her and her brother arrested and her company shut down.

Finally, on August 10, this year, Siddhesh sent a message to the company's WhatsApp number, further accusing it of fraud. Following Singh's complaint, the BKC police registered an FIR under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including 419 (Punishment for cheating by personation, 500 (Punishment for defamation), 501 (Printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory), 507(Criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication), as well as under the IT Act sections 43, 65, and 66c. An investigation is underway.

Former cop speak

In response to these allegations, retired ACP Ghosalkar told mid-day, "Chanchal and her brother framed my son. I paid money to Indrajeet to start a business but he didn't return it. I retired in 2021 and gave my retirement money - R80 L - to Indrajeet by cheque, and I have proof. If my son's IP address is found in the investigation, I will send my son to jail. Siddhesh is innocent and they framed him only because they don't want to return my money."

Chanchal Singh said, "We know what harassment we have gone through. I am aware whom I am fighting and will continue to fight for what is right. Siddhesh harassed me a lot and defamed my company. His father's allegations are false and baseless."

DCP Dikshit Gedam was not available for comment.