The Gujarat Police have arrested Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Vadodara city unit president Ashok Oza and his associate Nitin Dobariya in connection with fake calls made in the guise of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials to party workers. This development comes just days after AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and other leaders alleged that IB officer were harassing and intimidating AAP functionaries in Gujarat through suspicious “verification” calls.
According to Anand Superintendent of Police G G Jasani, a technical investigation by the Anand Cyber Crime Police traced the mobile number in question to Nitin Dobariya, a labour contractor from Anand. Interrogation revealed that Dobariya made the calls posing as an IB officer from the “Karelibaug IB Office” at the behest of Ashok Oza. One such call was made to AAP worker Keshavji Chauhan, who was allegedly threatened and asked to appear for ‘verification’.
Again, fraud Kejriwal model exposed.
— Lala (@FabulasGuy) May 30, 2026
He claimed AAP workers in Gujarat were getting “IB verification” calls.
But Gujarat police busted this propaganda
• Calls were not from IB
• Caller was AAP worker Nitin Dobariya
• he acted on Vadodara AAP chief Ashok Ojha’s instructions… https://t.co/5VNJwnx4s4 pic.twitter.com/684cK1Asrd
Police have registered a case against the duo under relevant Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 61(2), 204, and 351(1) for criminal impersonation, cheating by personation, and criminal intimidation, along with Section 66-D of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The motive, as per police, was internal factionalism within the AAP in Gujarat. Oza was reportedly unhappy with the appointment of former Delhi MLA Durgesh Pathak as a central observer for Vadodara and allegedly targeted a perceived rival worker to create discord and drive him away from the unit.
The development has come as a major embarrassment for the party, as Arvind Kejriwal and other party leaders had targeted the central govt over the issue, alleging that the govt was using IB to harass AAP leaders in the name of verification calls. On May 28, 2026, Durgesh Pathak first highlighted the issue on social media, claiming that an AAP worker in Gujarat was receiving repeated calls from the number where the caller identified himself as an IB official and demanded that the worker come for verification. He questioned whether it was genuinely an IB number and under which law a person travelling between states for party work needed to register or undergo such checks. Some workers who reportedly visited were allegedly threatened informally.
Arvind Kejriwal amplified the matter through a post on X, describing it as a “very serious matter.” He claimed to have personally dialled the number and said, “I asked – ‘Are you speaking from IB?’ He said – ‘Yes’. I said – “I am Arvind Kejriwal speaking. Under which law are you doing verification? He hung up the phone. After that, they are not picking up.”
ये बहुत संगीन मामला है। मैंने इस नंबर पे फ़ोन किया। पूछा – “क्या आप IB से बोल रहे हैं?” उसने कहा – “हाँ”। मैंने कहा – “मैं अरविंद केजरीवाल बोल रहा हूँ। आप किस क़ानून में verification कर रहे हो?” उसने फ़ोन काट दिया। उसके बाद से फ़ोन नहीं उठा रहे।
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 28, 2026
IB ये बताए कि क्या ये उनका नंबर… https://t.co/NoDbxE1Nph
Kejriwal demanded that the IB clarify if the number belonged to them and questioned the legality of such verifications. He further stated that he would personally visit the IB office in Gujarat during his next visit and urged AAP workers and the public to call the number and question the officials. He also encouraged party leaders receiving such calls to publicise them.
Other AAP leaders, including Gopal Italia, also raised the issue, criticising the alleged misuse of government machinery against the party.
However, now the police have clarified that the entire episode was an internal AAP matter staged through digital impersonation, and no central agency was involved. The investigation was initiated promptly after the social media posts gained traction.
Gujarat AAP president Isudan Gadhvi reacted by saying the development was “shocking” for the party as well. He noted that only preliminary information was available and that the party would take appropriate action if any Gujarat-level connections or responsibilities emerged once full facts were known.
This incident comes in the backdrop of Gujarat’s local body elections and follows a similar controversy in April 2026, when AAP candidate Ajay Bambhaniya from Una was arrested after police found that his claim of being fired upon by bike-borne assailants was allegedly staged. CCTV footage reportedly showed a live bullet falling from his clothes at the police station, and forensic examination found no evidence of firing on his vehicle. Kejriwal had then expressed concern over the “attack.”
