Thiruvananthapuram sub-collector Divya S Iyer lodged a formal complaint with the Director General of Police of Kerala, Loknath Nehra, against a private e-retailer for using an old picture of her without her consent.
The picture that was allegedly circulated on Facebook, she claimed, was used by a Coimbatore-based e-retailer known as Smartway India Enterprises.
Taken at one of the public events she had attended during her stint as the Kottayam Assistant Collector which ended two years ago, the picture originally had Divya and a few young men posing with her.
“I have no memory of when exactly I took this picture. When you are a public figure, you take pictures in good faith. I just know it is an old photo as I don’t use that particular apparel anymore,” Divya told TNM.
The company, a Multi-level Marketing (MLM) firm, allegedly used the picture to promote the brand, said Divya.
The photo used in the post had Divya holding a placard with the company name on it that claimed she was part of the firm.
According to other reports, the marketing exercise was done to keep the struggling firm afloat and attract attention.
‘I came to know about this picture from a well-wisher in Kottayam. He asked me if I was part of Smartway India true? I said no. And on further investigation I found out that the news was being circulated on Facebook and several WhatsApp groups.,” Divya added.
Following this, she lodged a complaint with the DGP on Tuesday. DGP Loknath Behra transferred the complaint to the Commissioner of Police, who further ordered Peroorkada Station House Officer Stewart Keeler to investigate the matter.
“I am not sure if the picture and post have been taken down yet, but the official information I gathered was that the post is not being spread anymore,” said Divya.