KASARGOD: Some members of two women-only WhatsApp groups -- Ishal Nilavu and Kinnav -- were stunned when they got a call from Vidyanagar police inspector Babu Peringath.
He told them that one of their members, Ayesha, was not a woman and that he was now in custody. “They did not believe me,” said Peringath. “All of them told me they knew Ayesha well and said I was posing as a policeman.”
The officer pleaded with them to add him to the groups for just five minutes so that he could to expose ‘Ayesha’.
Once he was added to the group, the officer posted a video of Cherunnil Zubair (26), who runs a mobile accessories shop at Badiadka. "The women were in disbelief. They started calling me to apologize and then thank me for exposing the impersonator," Peringath said.
The video has since gone viral.
For six months, Zubair had been a member of the two groups, which have more than 200 members. He uses the photograph of an actress as his profile picture.
According to the testimonies of some of the members, Peringath said, Zubair was always active in the two groups and give the members tips on how to get pregnant, what to do during pregnancy and on caring for infants. A few members said 'Ayesha' even asked for their nude photographs but they laughed it off.
He was busted when a member, who was pregnant, grew suspicious of Ayesha's identity because of his intimate questions. She told her husband and the couple approached the Vidyanagar inspector. The police traced the number to Zubair.
Peringath said Zubair used to give missed calls to the phone numbers of women who came to recharge at his shop. "When they called back, he would message them back on WhatsApp instead of taking the calls. He would go on to forge a friendship with a few of them under the false identity of Ayesha," said the officer. One of them added him to the groups.
The inspector said no member filed a formal complaint, so a suo motu case was filed against Zubair. He was charged with insulting the modesty of a woman (Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code) and committing atrocities against women (Section 119 of the Kerala Police Act); causing nuisance through calls and messages (Section 120 (o) of the Kerala Police Act).
Police said during his interrogation, it became known that a few of Zubair’s friends too were using fake identities to become members of women-only messaging groups. "We are investigating them too," Peringath said.
Zubair has been released on bail, police said.