Surat: A 47-year-old woman content creator with around one million Instagram followers was arrested by the Surat Cyber Crime Branch for allegedly uploading an objectionable reel featuring an image of Mahatma Gandhi from a Rs 500 currency note.The accused, Simran Amit Patel, a resident of Adajan, allegedly uploaded the reel on Instagram on Oct 1, coinciding with the eve of Gandhi Jayanti. Police said the video contained inappropriate visuals and gestures involving the image of Mahatma Gandhi.According to police, the reel was uploaded between 1pm and 6pm. A social worker, Dharmesh Gami, later approached Surat Cyber Crime Branch, following which a case was registered against Patel under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act for allegedly publishing obscene material in electronic form.Police launched a technical investigation to identify the person operating the Instagram account. The reel was subsequently deleted by Simran, police said. Acting on the instructions of senior officers, a team led by police inspector N R Patel arrested Simran on Sunday.Police said Simran had allegedly posted the reel from her own account. Investigators said the content was considered objectionable as it involved image of the Father of the Nation and had the potential to hurt public sentiments.Police said Simran had studied up to Class 12 and had been living in Surat for nearly 17 years following her marriage. She had been regularly creating and uploading short-form videos on social media, according to investigators.Police said she has been regularly posting obscene and vulgar videos on her Instagram account. Her Instagram profile also carries a disclaimer advising children and people who don’t prefer such content to stay away from or block the account.
