Crime branch traces man who created NSEL-related page on Facebook

Mumbai crime branch on Monday traced a 53-year-old man from Haji Ali who had created a Facebook page 'NSEL Investor's Forum', which had used the Indian emblem as its logo. A case was registered with the crime branch after a city lawyer complained about it and also alleged that the members of the group had posted offensive messages about a judge on the page.

According to crime branch officers, the page creator has been identified as Sanjay Desai.

"We had received a complaint that the national emblem was used on the page and there were derogatory comments made about a senior judge. As we investigated the case, we came to know that it was Desai who had created the page," said additional commissioner of police (crime) KMM Prasanna.

"Desai has admitted that he made the page and uploaded the national emblem as its logo. He also told us that he deleted all the objectionable comments about the judge after reading about it in the media."
Crime branch officers on Monday carried out searches at Desai's Haji Ali residence and seized his hard disk and router.

On September 11, the lawyer had lodged a complaint, after finding out about the page, saying it is against the law to use the national emblem as display picture. He further mentioned in his complaint that there were offensive comments posted on the page about a high court judge who had granted bail to NSEL scam's prime accused Jignesh Shah.

The police, on the basis of the complaint, had registered a case under section 66A of the Information Technology Act, and are investigating further.