Ahmedabad: Social media has been blurring the boundaries between law breakers and law enforcers with the opposing groups posting videos to either flex power or flaunt their antisocial exploits to expand their online fan base. The Instagram reels posted by a 34-year-old head constable with CID ( crime ), Neeta Chaudhary, and those by bootlegger and murder accused, Joravarsinh Jhala — both made headlines recently for cocking a snook at the dry state’s prohibition law — underline this rather disturbing trend. Chaudhary gained notoriety after her arrest on July 1, a day after she was caught accompanying a bootlegger named Yuvrajsinh Jadeja in his SUV.
The duo tried to run over six cops who signalled them to stop on National Highway 41 near Bhachau town in Kutch. That same SUV was seen in one of the reels she had posted on her Instagram account, in which she identifies herself as an artist. The cop’s social media USP: Lip-syncing to Bollywood songs.
Police seized 16 bottles of IMFL and two beer cans from the SUV and charged Chaudhary and Jadeja with attempted murder and bootlegging. Granted bail on July 3, which was cancelled on July 10, Chaudhary remained untraceable until the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad nabbed her on July 16. Her Instagram followers had nearly doubled within a fortnight of her arrest, crossing 1.
14 lakh. One of the reels shows her driving a white Thar in the desert (the same that was used to run over the cops); in another she is walking past luxury cars.