Celebrities often choose to turn a blind eye to trolls instead of feeding them. Abhinav Shukla, too, had done the same in the past. However, last year, the actor was forced to approach the police against a troll, who had been targeting him and his female friends for a long time. The troll has now been traced by the Patiala Police and investigations are on.

Abhinav tells us, “I am relieved, more for the sake of my female friends, that the troll has been traced. For the past year, he had been targeting me and tagging all my female friends, family members, and acquaintances, especially those with verified accounts. His messages were nasty, vilifying and criminal in nature. He accused my female friends of having an affair with me, threatened to throw acid on them, and had them run over.”

Abhinav initially dismissed it as posts by just another upset social media user. However, he soon realised that things were getting out of hand after he started making multiple accounts to troll him. He says, “My friends brought it to my notice and asked me to take action. I didn’t pay much heed thinking that it was one of the hazards of being a celeb. However, I soon started to wonder who was so idle in life that he could troll me for a year non-stop like he was on a mission.”

That’s when Abhinav approached the Mumbai Cyber Crime Branch. He says, “I reported the matter to the Mumbai Cyber Crime Cell via a written complaint on their portal in May 2021 while I was in Cape Town for Khatron Ke Khiladi. I requested them to take cognisance of the online complaint followed by a written complaint, but they didn’t lodge an FIR. Sensing that time was of the essence, I registered a complaint in my hometown with the Patiala police on September 13 last year. They filed an FIR under sections 66 CE and 67A. The police have finally traced the person, who is a resident of Cuttack (Odisha). They questioned him and his family but his motive is still not clear. It could be a case of paid trolls, who may have been hired by someone who doesn’t like me and doesn’t want me to prosper. The police are investigating the case. I am relieved.”