'Rent garba partner' posts go viral before Navratri, Gujarat cops urge caution
With Navratri around the corner, social media posts offering people the option to “Rent A Garba Partner” have gone viral in Ahmedabad, prompting the city’s Cyber Crime Cell to warn people against making payments to unknown profiles or users.
The posts offer garba partners under three categories, Silver, Gold and Platinum, with different prices and durations. The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Cell has urged people not to trust such offers, especially when they are posted by people they do not know or have never met.advertisement❮❯ Read Full Story‘RENT A GARBA PARTNER’ POSTS GO VIRALNavratri is widely celebrated across Gujarat with traditional ras garba events. Ahead of the festival, however, social media users have been coming across posts offering to arrange a garba partner for a fee.
The viral posts list three options. Under the Silver category, users are asked to pay Rs 1,000 for a garba partner for two hours. The Gold option costs Rs 1,500 for four hours, while the Platinum option costs Rs 2,000 for the entire night.
The posts also advertise additional offerings such as garba steps, matching costumes and selfies, making the concept attract attention on social media.
According to Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Cell ACP Hardik Mandakia, the police had been observing such posts for the past five to six days.
He said the posts initially appeared on a few profiles. When the profiles were examined, the police found that the posts had been shared from profiles belonging to the actual users, with the apparent intention of gaining reach.
However, similar posts carrying the “Rent A Garba Partner” wording later began appearing across several handles and included AI-generated content, Mandakia said.CYBER CRIME CELL WARNS AGAINST PAYMENTS
The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Cell has advised people not to transfer money to profiles or users they do not know in response to such offers.
Mandakia said people should not trust an unknown profile simply because it is promoting a garba-related service. He warned that transferring money to such profiles could lead to fraud.
The cyber cell has also asked people who have already made a payment to a profile or user through one of these viral posts to seek help from the cyber police.BAJRANG DAL DEMANDS PROBE INTO POSTS
The viral posts have also drawn a reaction from the Gujarat Bajrang Dal.
Bajrang Dal Gujarat regional co-convenor Jwalit Mehta said the people behind such social media posts should be identified and their intentions investigated.
Mehta said such posts should not be given space during Navratri, which he described as a festival dedicated to the worship of Maa Shakti. He also questioned who was behind the posts and called for an investigation into those circulating them.
He said people traditionally attend garba with their families, friends and relatives at societies and party plots, and argued that there is no need for a rented garba partner.
Mehta called for police action against those responsible for circulating such posts, saying they should be investigated to establish the purpose behind them.- EndsPublished By: Tanu jainPublished On: Sep 20, 2026 20:20 IST
