Paravur: The Aluva Cyber Police on Wednesday arrested Congress leader CK Gopalakrishnan in connection with the alleged cyber attack on CPM leader KJ Shine. Gopalakrishnan, a major political figure in Paravur, was booked along with political commentator KM Shajahan following Shine’s complaint filed in September.

The probe team arrested Gopalakrishnan around 1.30 pm after interrogating him. He was later released on station bail.

“Police interrogated me for an hour. They showed me my Facebook posts, but none of those targeted any individual. I only shared a post that was forwarded to me on WhatsApp,” Gopalakrishnan told the media.

He is the first accused in the case. According to the police, more people — including those who commented on the posts defaming KJ Shine — will face action.

KJ Shine’s Complaint
KJ Shine, who contested as the LDF candidate from the Ernakulam parliamentary constituency in the 2024 general elections, had submitted a complaint to the Ernakulam Rural Cyber Crime Police on September 19.

In her complaint, she alleged a coordinated social media campaign to defame her. She stated that several Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, and Threads accounts had posted sexually coloured remarks and circulated morphed photos of her.

Subsequently, the police registered a case against Gopalakrishnan and Shajahan. Charges, including stalking, insulting the modesty of a woman under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form under the IT Act, and causing inconvenience or annoyance through any means of communication under the Kerala Police Act are slapped against the duo.

Vypeen MLA KN Unnikrishnan has also filed a defamation complaint against the same social media accounts for allegedly making defamatory remarks against him. According to reports, three other CPM MLAs from the Ernakulam district — PV Sreenijin,  KJ Maxy, and Antony John — have lodged similar complaints.