A youth has been arrested for threatening, on Twitter, to assassinate Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, police said on Friday, January 21. The CID Cyber Crime wing arrested Rajapalem Phani, a native of Rajamahendravaram in Andhra Pradesh and working as a sales representative in Hyderabad. CID Cyber Crime Superintendent of Police GR Radhika told reporters that they had registered a case based on a complaint against the accused.

The complaint was about a tweet by the accused on January 16. Using a fake Twitter handle ‘Kannabhai’, he allegedly made a series of tweets abusing the Chief Minister. In one of the tweets, he allegedly threatened to become a “human bomb” to kill the Chief Minister. Acting on a complaint by state Jagan Seva Dal Vice President Mylam Srikanth, Tirupati police on January 17 registered a case against unidentified person under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the IT Act.

The accused had subsequently deleted the tweet and deactivated the Twitter account. He also switched off his mobile phone. However, the police identified him with the help of an IP address and took him into custody. The accused reportedly told the police in his statement that he is a supporter of Jana Sena Party and fan of the party leader and actor Pawan Kalyan.

The police official said those making posts which are abusive and which may create law and order problems will face action as per law and new IT rules. She said people should be careful while posting anything on social media. "Don't think you can tweet or post something by creating a fake account and get away by deleting the post, deactivating the account and switching off mobile phone. The CID Cyber Crime wing has latest technology tools to trace you," she warned.