Bantwal: The Bantwal Town Police have registered three separate cases against several WhatsApp groups, Instagram and Facebook accounts for allegedly circulating fake, morphed and provocative posts related to the Lavanya murder case at the B C Road KSRTC bus stand. The action follows the circulation of misleading content on social media that police said was intended to disturb communal harmony and spread false narratives about the incident that occurred on July 16.
The police said the action stems from misinformation linked to a criminal case registered as Crime No. 95/2026, involving offences under Sections 78, 126 and 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, along with Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act.
Morphed image linked to Bajrang Dal narrative
According to the police, one of the accused’s photographs in the firearms-related case was digitally altered by adding a saffron shawl and kumkum to falsely portray him as a Bajrang Dal activist. The morphed image was allegedly circulated widely on social media platforms with misleading captions capable of disturbing public peace and communal harmony.
Based on the complaint, the police registered Crime No. 96/2026 under Sections 196 and 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the Instagram account ‘troll_master.__’ and several WhatsApp groups.
The groups named in the FIR include ‘Yuva Beltangady’, ‘PPadmaraj Padmarajpari’, ‘Padmaraj Padmaraj pari’, ‘Yuva Congress Beltangady’ and ‘Facts and Justice’.
Separate case over Congress worker claim
In another instance, police said a separate social media post attempted to project the accused as a Congress party worker by circulating another edited version of the same photograph.
A case has been registered as Crime No. 98/2026 under Section 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the Facebook account ‘Chethan Belchada’ for allegedly sharing the morphed image and spreading false information.
Police said the content was intended to create a misleading political narrative surrounding the case.
Facebook user booked for provocative post
The Bantwal Town Police have also registered Crime No. 97/2026 under Section 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against Facebook user ‘Shailaja Amarnath’.
According to the complaint, the account allegedly published false and provocative content that had the potential to incite communal tension and disturb public order.
Police stated that the posts are being examined as part of the investigation into the misuse of social media to spread misinformation.
Investigation underway
Police have launched investigations into all three cases and are working to identify the administrators and individuals operating the social media accounts and WhatsApp groups named in the FIRs.
Officials said digital evidence is being examined and further legal action will be taken based on the findings of the investigation. They also urged the public to refrain from sharing unverified or manipulated content on social media, warning that strict action would be initiated against those spreading misinformation capable of affecting communal harmony and public peace.
