Mahadev Vilas Balgude, aged 40, was arrested by the Cyber Police Station of Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate for allegedly circulating a morphed image of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and posting content that expressed sympathy for Naxalites. Balgude, who was the social media head of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) in Maharashtra, was taken into custody on Thursday evening and presented in court the following day, where he was remanded to six days of police custody. The complaint leading to his arrest was filed by Basavaraj Mallikarjun Yadwad, an advocate from Pune, after he noticed the objectionable posts on social media between April 3 and April 20. The FIR, registered on April 22, cites multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Information Technology Act, alleging that Balgude intended to tarnish the Chief Minister's image and incited followers to attack him. DCP (Crime) Shivaji Pawar confirmed the arrest and the charges against Balgude.