Man arrested for posting false alert about G20 summit security threat

A man was arrested on Friday from north Delhi for allegedly posting a false alert on social media, claiming that an autorickshaw was transporting firearms and explosives to the Pragati Maidan area, a police official said.

Pragati Maidan falls under New Delhi district, which has been termed 'Controlled Zone 1' for the G20 summit, with vehicular restrictions imposed in the area.

According to police, the official twitter handle of DCP outer north was tagged about a tweet from the X account of Kuldeep Shah (21), saying "Yeh auto driver Pragati Maidan ki taraf guns aur explosive lekar ja raha hai (this autorickshaw driver is transporting firearms and explosives to Pragati Maidan),” while sharing the registration number and image of an autorickshaw.

Deputy commissioner of police (outer north) Ravi Kumar Singh said considering the sensitivity of the post, the owner of the concerned autorickshaw was tracked down and found to be Gurmeet Singh (50), a resident of SSN Park who appears to have been involved in a dispute with Shah.

“The auto was checked thoroughly and nothing suspicious was found,” said the DCP. “Shah has spread rumours regarding the G20 summit security. Legal action is being taken against him.”

Meanwhile, massive traffic jams were seen at Delhi's borders owing to police checking and pickets on Friday. There were long queues of vehicles on Noida-Kalindi Kunj Road, Gurugram border, MG Road, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Singhu borders.

From Thursday midnight, non-essential vehicles were directed to use the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways and other alternate routes from city borders.

In preparation for the G20 summit at Pragati Maidan on 9 and 10 September, Delhi Police has implemented various security measures, involving a force of over 50,000 security personnel, K9 dog squads, and mounted police units.