The Gujarat Police has registered a case against an unknown person for placing an online advertisement to “sell” the Statue of Unity in Kevadiya in Narmada district.
The advertisement was placed for Rs 30,000 crore on OLX.
The Statue of Unity was being sold to meet the Gujarat government’s expenses for hospitals and medical infrastructure to fight the coronavirus outbreak in the state, the advertisement said.
The memorial to Sardar Patel, at 182 metres, is the world’s tallest such structure and has attracted several lakh people since it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018.
Police said some unknown person placed an advertisement on OLX on Saturday stating he needs to sell the Statue of Unity for ?30,000 crore to meet the requirement of money to buy hospitals and healthcare equipment.
.A cheating and forgery case was registered under IPC, Epidemic Diseases Act and Information Technology Act, said a police official.
Soon after it was posted, the advertisement was taken off the website.
“Despite him not being authorised to sell government property, this unidentified person posted the advertisement on OLX to defame the government and mislead people,” stated a release from the chief administrator of the Statue of Unity.