Thane: 28-year-old man held for creating fake account in name of BJP MLA for sending messages to women

A 28-year-old man was arrested for allegedly creating a fake account in the name of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA and sending messages to women in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said.

An offence under section 499 (defamation) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Informational Technology Act has been registered against the accused at Kolsewadi police station of Kalyan division, an official said.

BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad in his complaint has alleged that some women had approached him saying that they had received messages from an account, which was in his name, he said. The legislator from Kalyan east constituency approached the police and the accused was arrested on Saturday, the official said.

The accused, who is a taxi driver, created a fake Facebook account in Gaikwad's name and sent messages to women, he said, adding that further probe is underway.