Hyderabad: Prior to Prime Minister Narendra Modi playing a video during his Mann Ki Baat episode on Sunday to highlight how a Karnataka resident tactfully dealt with cyber fraudsters who tried to con him under the pretext of ‘digital arrest', the ministry of home affairs had to launch a hunt to trace the victim.
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) zeroed in on Santosh Patil's video over a week ago. The video has gone viral in Sept after Telangana's senior IPS officer, VC Sajjanar, posted it on his X handle. PMO tasked MHA officials to trace Patil since the PMO wanted to know the first-hand experience of Patil to mention during the Sunday episode.
"I got the video from my local acquaintance in Vijayapura, and I was shocked as the cyber fraudsters were wearing police uniforms while speaking to Santosh to con him. But Santosh, getting suspicious, recorded the video and evaded the trap. To create awareness, I posted it on my X handle on Sept 19, and it went viral," Sajjanar said.
After he was contacted by the PMO through the MHA, Sajjanar traced Patil after several hours. The PMO officials later spoke to Patil, who was in a state of shock about the sudden development. After his conversation was played in Mann Ki Baat, Santosh spoke to the IPS officer and thanked him for becoming the communication bridge. tnn