Asianet NewsableAsianet Newsable

Mohd Zubair case: Delhi Police makes stunning funding claim

Delhi Police stated on Saturday that Pravda Media, which owns Alt News, got more than Rs 2 lakh through multiple transactions in which either the cell phone number or the IP address was from a foreign country. According to an analysis of a response received from the Razorpay payment gateway, there were several transactions in which either the mobile phone number was from outside India or the IP address was from outside India.

Mohd Zubair case Delhi Police makes stunning funding claim gcw
Author
New Delhi, First Published Jul 2, 2022, 1:53 PM IST

The Delhi Police have filed new charges against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in connection with an alleged offensive tweet he wrote in 2018. For allegedly collecting foreign donations, Delhi Police have cited sections 201 (causing the disappearance of evidence), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 35 of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).

Delhi Police stated on Saturday that Pravda Media, which owns Alt News, got more than Rs 2 lakh through multiple transactions in which either the cell phone number or the IP address was from a foreign country. According to an analysis of a response received from the Razorpay payment gateway, there were several transactions in which either the mobile phone number was from outside India or the IP address was from outside India, including Bangkok, Australia, Singapore, Victoria, New York and various other countries.

Also Read | Twitter handle that flagged Mohammed Zubair's 2018 tweet doesn't exist anymore

As part of the investigation, investigators seized Zubair's cellphone and retrieved a hard disc. According to police, he formatted his phone and removed key tweets.

Pravda Media collected a total of Rs 2,31,933 from these transactions, it claimed. On June 27, Delhi Police detained Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in connection with an offensive tweet he sent against a Hindu god in 2018. On Saturday, he appeared in court and police requested 14 days of judicial imprisonment in the case. His four-day police detention period concluded on Saturday.

Also read: Mohammad Zubair was evasive, phone was formatted: Delhi Police

According to the statement, through social media research, it was discovered that Twitter accounts that backed Zubair and had tweeted in his favour following his detention were largely from the Middle East, including the UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait, as well as Pakistan.

The Delhi Police are also investigating the suspected participation of Twitter identities in the 'Twitter storms' triggered by Zubair. According to the authorities, some of these tweets were just removed, but they are still looking for the trail. Police had written to several banks earlier this week, requesting information regarding Zubair's account data and other financial activity.

Also Read: Journalist Mohammad Zubair arrested by Delhi Police; here's why

(WIth PTI inputs)

Follow Us:
Download App:
  • android
  • ios