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Cops fear an organised bid to discredit senior police officers with mischievous stories; cyber-cell of Mumbai police probing the case.The Mumbai police have launched an investigation after appearance of two fake news items online in as many months targeting two senior police officers.The first fake news story directed at DCP, traffic, Ashok Dudhe, appeared in December last year saying he had quit the police force after winning Rs 9 crore in a lottery.The second item, this time targeting DCP, zone 9, Paramjit Singh Dahiya, appeared on Wednesday. It said he was caught on acarrying Rs 11 crore in cash and added that since Dahiya explained he had won the cash in a lottery, charges against him were dropped.Since both stories have several common elements, cops believe they are the handiwork of either the same person or the same set of people.While the first story was received within the force with some amusement, the second has led to panic as it now appears like an organised bid to discredit senior police officers. The case is being investigated by theof Mumbai police.Both news stories appeared under the fake masthead of a reputedand were circulated onand. A senior police officer, who did not wish to be identified, said both news reports could be an attempt to attract traffic to a certainWhile fake news has become a major embarrassment for online news aggregators, including giants likeand Facebook, this is the first time that Mumbai police has become its victim.While both news stories did not use the officers’ names, their pictures in uniform were carried. Dudhe’s name was replaced by Vihaan Patel and the news item said he had “won the progressiveat, cashing out on Rs 9,43,49,014 in a matter of five seconds.” The story went on to introduce Vihaan Patel, 27, as a simple man with a normal job and a loving wife.In the story against DCP Dahiya, his picture was captioned Reyansh. The story was headlined “All charges dropped against Mumbai policeman caught with Rs 11 crore.” The report added that Reyansh – married with three kids – had a debt of Rs 1crore to repay after he borrowed money for his wife’s treatment and his eldest son’s tuition fee. The jackpot, obviously, changed his life.The story said Reyansh had kept the lottery win a secret for weeks but was caught with the cash on a domestic flight. “He was detained. When he was taken in for police interrogation at the airport, he showed the receipt of the jackpot and immediately all charges against him were dropped,” said the report.Talking to Mumbai Mirror on Thursday, DCP Dahiya said: “I would have invited everyone for a party if it [the lottery win] was true. But on a serious note, it is fake news and it has happened with one of my colleagues too.”DCP Dudhe too confirmed his name being used in a fake news item. “I am aware of such a post online and my picture being misused. An enquiry is underway,” he said.Superintendent of Police, Cyber Cell, Balsingh Rajput, said: “Investigation is on.”