The Bengaluru city police last week registered a case against unidentified people for allegedly posting threatening and intimidating content on social media platforms in the name of rowdy sheeter and notorious gangster J Nagaraj alias Wilson Garden Naga.
The posts allegedly contained content showing weapons, threatening imagery, and used movie dialogues and songs to project Naga’s criminal persona. Anand DS, a police constable who monitors social media accounts, stated in his complaint that several videos posted on Instagram promoted violence and provocation to disturb law and order.
“The social media posts were creating fear and intimidation in society. We have taken cognisance of the matter to prevent any potential law and order issues,” the police stated in the FIR, registered under Sections 351(1) (acts endangering public order) and 352 (promoting enmity or insult provoking breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The Siddapura police filed the suo motu case on July 31 after taking permission from the second additional chief metropolitan magistrate court.
According to police sources, the accused created multiple Instagram handles, such as @ll.nagaraj_official.ll_, @ll.naga_anna.ll, @naga_anna_975, @wilsongardennagana, and @wilson_garden_snake_team. These accounts allegedly posted videos and images with titles like “Wilson garden Naga boss” and “NAGANNA THE KING OF UNDERWORLD GANGSTAR”.
Who is Wilson Garden Naga?
Wilson Garden Naga, 40, has been a known criminal for the last 20 years. He has faced over 25 criminal cases but has been acquitted in many of them. Currently, he is in jail and, facing charges related to extortion, robbery, murder, and other criminal activities.
He was in the news after a photo emerged last year where Kannada film actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, who was arrested in connection with the murder of Renukaswamy, a Chitradurga resident, was seen smoking cigarettes with him inside the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru. (https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/darshan-thoogudeepa-actor-smoking-cigarette-gangster-jail-photo-viral-9533404/)
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Naga was among a few gangsters who attempted to enter politics just before the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections. The Bengaluru city police then issued an externment order to keep him away from the state capital.