Jamnagar, Aug 13 (IANS): Gujarat police has arrested a man who had allegedly masqueraded as an official from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) with an attempt to secure the release of an accused involved in a cybercrime case.

The suspect, identified as Nikunj Patel, arrested on Saturday in Ahmedabad and subsequently transported to Jamnagar for further investigation.

The saga began on August 10 when Patel reportedly initiated a WhatsApp call, purporting to be from the CMO, to Jamnagar Superintendent of Police, Premsukh Delu. During the call, Patel introduced himself as an official from the CMO.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, Jayvirsinh Zala, recounted that during the call, Patel beseeched the senior police officer to secure the release of Amir Aslam, recently detained in connection with a cybercrime-related offense.

Patel further requested to be connected with the accused over the phone.

His audacious ploy would trigger an in-depth probe by Superintendent Delu.

The phone number utilised for the call did not correspond to any official linked to the CMO. The discovery prompted Deputy Superintendent Zala to address the matter during a press briefing.

“In light of the evidence gathered from the phone number, law enforcement managed to track down Patel, leading to his arrest in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

“Subsequently, he was transported to Jamnagar for further legal proceedings. Authorities have taken decisive action by registering a case against Patel under Section 170 of the Indian Penal Code, which pertains to impersonating a public servant,” Zala said.