In a significant move to tackle the rising threat of online fraud, the Uttar Pradesh Police has produced and released a hard-hitting short film on cyber awareness, featuring veteran actor Nana Patekar. This initiative, announced on Tuesday, forms a core part of a massive public outreach campaign ordered by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to effectively prevent cybercrimes across the state.
A Top Priority Campaign Against Cybercrime
Acting on the clear directives from the Chief Minister, Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Krishna made cybercrime control and public awareness a top operational priority for the force. Under his guidance, the UP Police executed a sustained, state-wide campaign to educate citizens. Demonstrating personal commitment, DGP Rajeev Krishna participated online in 11 zone-level cyber awareness workshops, directly interacting with and educating over 1 lakh people from more than 25 districts.
These extensive sessions were designed to reach a wide cross-section of society, including students, general citizens, public representatives, traders, and various social groups. The workshops focused on exposing emerging cyber fraud techniques, teaching precautionary measures, and promoting essential digital safety practices.
The Film: A Real-Life Story with a Star Cast
As a pivotal component of this outreach, the police released an impactful short film specifically aimed at warning citizens about sophisticated "digital arrest" scams. The film's narrative is inspired by a real-life incident reported in Kanpur, where an alert citizen used presence of mind to thwart a cyber fraud attempt, refusing to be intimidated by the criminals.
In the film, Nana Patekar plays the role of a vigilant citizen, with actress Leena Sharma portraying his wife. Actor Kishore Soni appears as a fake "cyber inspector" trying to extort money, while Adil Irani plays the part of a genuine police inspector. The project was directed by noted filmmaker Raj Shandilya, known for directing popular Bollywood hits like Dream Girl and Dream Girl 2. The script was penned by DGP PRO and UP Police social media incharge Rahul Srivastava.
Maximizing Reach for a Cyber-Safe Society
Officials stated that this initiative underscores the UP Police's continued commitment to building a cyber-aware society, empowering citizens with knowledge, and ensuring a safer digital ecosystem for everyone. To maximize its impact, the short film has been widely circulated across all official social media platforms of the Uttar Pradesh Police.
This multi-pronged strategy combining high-level workshops with engaging celebrity-led content reflects a modern approach to law enforcement, where prevention through awareness is considered as crucial as investigation and prosecution.
