Woman arrested in Surat over objectionable instagram reel with Gandhi’s image
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Surat: A 47-year-old Instagram influencer and content creator has been arrested by the Surat Cyber Crime Branch over an allegedly objectionable video featuring Mahatma Gandhi’s image on a ₹500 currency note.
The accused, identified by police as Simran Patel, also known as Simran Amit Patel, is a homemaker from Surat’s Adajan area and has around 10 lakh Instagram followers.
According to the police, Patel uploaded the reel on October 1, a day before Gandhi Jayanti, between 1 pm and 6 pm. In the video, she was allegedly seen holding a ₹500 note bearing Gandhi’s portrait while making vulgar and sexually suggestive gestures and remarks as she sang “Happy Birthday Gandhi Ji”. Police also alleged that she put the currency note inside her T-shirt during the video.
The reel subsequently attracted attention on social media before being deleted by Patel.
Social worker Dharmesh Gami, who is associated with Gau Raksha Manch, approached the Surat Cyber Crime Branch and filed a complaint over the video.
Police registered a case against Patel under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, which deals with the publication or transmission of obscene material in electronic form. Investigators conducted a technical analysis of the social media activity and traced the Instagram account to Patel.
A team from the Surat Cyber Crime Branch, led by Police Inspector N.R. Patel, arrested her on Sunday, October 4.
Following the arrest, Surat Police posted a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, showing footage from the reel and visuals of Patel after her arrest. The video also showed her issuing an apology.
Police urged people to exercise caution when producing or sharing content on social media, warning against material that could hurt public sentiments or contribute to social discord.
The investigation is continuing and further legal proceedings are being carried out under the relevant provision of the IT Act concerning obscenity in electronic form.