Scammers also sending links to ‘join’ Cockroach Janata Party, Punjab police warn

THe roach Janta company (CJP) continues to overlook societal media conversations crossways India, while scammers are now seeking to ride the wave too. Cybercriminals are reportedly exploiting the movement's popularity to circulate phishing links on WhatsApp, with the aim of hacking mobile phones and stealing sensitive financial information, police in Punjab have said.The Punjab Police issued a formal advisory on Saturday, urging citizens to exercise caution and resist clicking on links that claim to offer “membership” in the CJP, which started as a satirical movement named thus after a comment by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.The warning came after such links were found to be circulating widely on WhatsApp, targeting users whose curiosity about the newly formed outfit has made them vulnerable to exploitation, police further said, as per news agency PTI.What police saidLudhiana Police issued an alert. "This is not a joke, but a big conspiracy to hack your phone and fraudulently withdraw your money. Do not make the mistake of clicking on such fake links. Be alert, be careful!" read a message shared by the district police on their official platforms.A police official in Ludhiana elaborated on the mechanics of the fraud in a video statement. Many people have shown enthusiasm for the Cockroach Janata Party, he noted, and scammers are exploiting exactly that enthusiasm by sending phishing links via WhatsApp, framing them as an invitation to formally join the party."Clicking the link will compromise your phone, giving scammers access to your bank details. They could take out loans in your name and withdraw money from your account," the official warned.Phishing links of this nature typically install malware or redirect users to counterfeit pages designed to harvest login credentials. The use of a trending topic as bait — in this case the CJP's name and imagery — is a well-documented technique among cybercriminals, who routinely latch onto high-visibility events or trends.CJP continues to make wavesThe CJP was founded by Abhijeet Dipke, a Boston University student who was earlier associated with the Aam Aadmi Party. The outfit was set up barely a week ago but has already garnered over 20 million followers on Instagram, making it one of the fastest-growing political movements on Indian social media in recent memory. Its content, icnluding memes, mock manifestos, and satirical commentary, has focused on issues close to young Indians, such as unemployment and exam paper leaks.The CJP's name and origins are rooted in a controversy over remarks by the Chief Justice of India during a court hearing, in which the terms "parasites" and "cockroaches" were used. Though the CJI later clarified he had been misquoted, the so-called party adopted the cockroach as its symbol and rapidly accumulated a following.Its account on X was later withheld in India, a step that drew criticism from the Internet Freedom Foundation, the digital rights group. Dipke himself has separately alleged that all of the CJP's social media accounts and its website have been taken down or compromised, leaving the outfit without access to its official platforms.Police have, meanwhile, been deployed for protection at Dipke's home in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra, where his parents live while he lives in Boston, officials said on Sunday.Deputy commissioner of police Pankaj Atulkar confirmed the deployment. “We have given round-the-clock general police protection to Abhijeet Dipke's residence located in MIDC Waluj area. This is to ensure there is no crowding at his place since the CJP issue is trending on social media right now," DCP Atulkar told news agency PTI.