The Mumbai Crime Branch on Saturday detained British national Dr Sangram Patil at the Mumbai airport after he landed, in connection with a case related to allegedly tarnishing the image of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its top national leaders, and for promoting social discord.
After detaining Patil, Crime Branch officials questioned him and later released him after serving a notice, directing him to appear for further interrogation as and when required. Patil is originally from Maharashtra but is currently a British citizen. He was taken into custody in connection with objectionable posts allegedly made on social media against the Modi government.
According to sources, the Crime Branch Unit 3 took Patil into custody soon after he and his wife arrived at the Mumbai airport on Saturday.
As per police officials, the case was registered on December 18, 2025, at the N M Joshi Marg police station following a complaint filed by BJP Maharashtra state social media co-convenor Nikhil Shamrao Bhamre. The complaint alleged that objectionable content was posted from two Facebook accounts, one of which belonged to Patil.
According to the complaint, on December 14, 2025, an offensive post was circulated from a Facebook account named “Shehar Vikas Aghadi,” allegedly using derogatory and provocative language against BJP’s senior national leaders and the party. The complainant claimed that the post was intended to deliberately spread false and misleading information to malign the party’s image. The post also reportedly contained objectionable remarks about a woman.
Additionally, another post was shared on the same day from a Facebook account named “Dr Sangram Patil,” containing allegedly contemptuous comments against the BJP and its leaders. The complaint stated that such content could incite hostility and animosity among different sections of society.
Police said that investigations into the matter have been ongoing since the registration of the case.