Bhubaneswar: Family members of Prasant Satpathy, who died in the Pahalgam terror attack, lodged a police complaint on Sunday against unauthorised fundraising efforts on various social media sites using his identity.
Prasant’s wife, Priyadarshini, along with her family members lodged the complaint at Balasore cybercrime police station after finding out about the illicit fundraising activities.
They reported that various social media users have been requesting donations, claiming to support the family, utilising digital payment platforms and other methods to gather funds.
Family members clarified they had not sanctioned any fundraising initiatives and urged people not to send money to these accounts. They voiced their concern regarding potential cyber crime and unauthorised use of their name and possible financial deception of generous donors.
“We have not given consent to anyone to raise funds for us. Those who are doing so may not have good intention. If anyone has taken money in my husband’s name, they should donate the money to some trust,” Priyadarshini told TOI.
Priyadarshini said she heard about the fundraising initiatives from close associates. “We are away from social media at this time of grief. After learning about it, we have lodged a formal complaint,” she said.
So far, police have identified one such organisation that had shared the fundraising post on social media. “Police are questioning them. Those responsible should issue an apology to us for misusing my husband’s name. We have also urged the police to verify the credentials of the suspects. If their intention is found to be one not to cause harm, police should spare them with a strong warning,” Priyadarshini added.
Police are investigating whether any donation had been received. “We are trying to find out whether any donors have given money after seeing the fake notice on social media. Strict action will be taken against those responsible for raising funds illegally in the Pahalgam victim’s name. We urge people to remain vigilant as cyber criminals or others may take this opportunity to exploit the situation. People should take adequate precautions. They may directly contact the victim’s family or govt authorities if they want to reach out to the family,” a senior police officer said.