Bengaluru, Feb 4 (IANS): The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has lodged a complaint with the cyber crime police station against unidentified miscreants who created a website allegedly impersonating the official website of the Congress party.

Through the fake website, false and defamatory messages are being circulated, the complaint said.

The Congress said that the 'illegitimate' website is disseminating inaccurate, defamatory and damaging information which are affecting the image of the KPCC.

The portal pretending to be the official website of the state Congress is powered by Midnight Digital Private Limited, a digital marketing platform that is supposedly based out of Gujarat.

This website is causing severe harm to the image and reputation of the party and its leaders besides causing confusion among the public, the complaint said.

The website is not authorised by the party and it is using the official name, address and logo of the Congress without its permission, it added.

"The content published on the website is false and defamatory in nature and is intended to malign the image of the party and its leaders," the complaint stated.

"This constitutes offence under IPC Section 499 which deals with defamation and Section 505 for dissemination of false information. I request you to take stringent action against the miscreants who have created the illegitimate website and are spreading false content.

"The website should be taken down immediately, and the people behind it should be identified and brought to justice," said A.S. Ponnanna, senior advocate and Chairman of Legal Human Rights and RTI Department.