Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Zeshan Mahmood/Archive

Suspected sockpuppets



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 * - Identical usernames
 * - Same habit of creating hoaxes, making copy-vios, and uploading non-free files
 * - same habit of never responding to warnings (like, NEVER)
 * - same fixation on the Pakistan topic area.
 * - obsessed about creating nonsensical categories and content about "South-Central Asia"; -


 * The "Zeshan Mahmmod" sock was indeffed a few days ago on Wikimedia. Turns out this dude is in fact a long-term disruptor; in mid 2016, his main account got globally locked.

- LouisAragon (talk) 17:54, 29 December 2017 (UTC)


 * Oh, and could some mod auto-revert all his changes? Thanks - LouisAragon (talk) 18:13, 29 December 2017 (UTC)


 * you just blocked this sockpuppet for 3 days. However, I think you probably did that without knowing about this SPI and further LTA evidence (i.e. globally locked main account). - LouisAragon (talk) 23:55, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

Comments by other users
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The following IPs from several years of vandalism may also be considered as showing very similar editing tendencies. Shyamal (talk) 06:34, 30 December 2017 (UTC)
 * (5-Aug-2011)
 * (2-Oct-2011)
 * (16-Jun-2008)
 * (7-Jun-2009)
 * (12,13-Sep-2010)
 * (6 Mar 2011)
 * (5-Sept-2011)
 * (31-Aug-2011)
 * (Aug-2013)
 * (3-Sept-2011)
 * (26-Aug-2010)
 * (25-Aug-2010)
 * (26-Aug-2010)
 * (Nov-2013)
 * (22-Aug-2010)
 * (23-Aug-2010, Iran)
 * (24-Aug-2010)
 * (24-Aug-2010)
 * (23-Feb-2011)
 * (9-Aug-2011)
 * (13-Aug-2011)
 * (16-Aug-2011)
 * (1-Jan-2015)
 * (31-Aug-2011)
 * (Aug-2013)
 * (3-Sept-2011)
 * (26-Aug-2010)
 * (25-Aug-2010)
 * (26-Aug-2010)
 * (Nov-2013)
 * (22-Aug-2010)
 * (23-Aug-2010, Iran)
 * (24-Aug-2010)
 * (24-Aug-2010)
 * (23-Feb-2011)
 * (9-Aug-2011)
 * (13-Aug-2011)
 * (16-Aug-2011)
 * (1-Jan-2015)
 * (22-Aug-2010)
 * (23-Aug-2010, Iran)
 * (24-Aug-2010)
 * (24-Aug-2010)
 * (23-Feb-2011)
 * (9-Aug-2011)
 * (13-Aug-2011)
 * (16-Aug-2011)
 * (1-Jan-2015)
 * (9-Aug-2011)
 * (13-Aug-2011)
 * (16-Aug-2011)
 * (1-Jan-2015)

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments
I removed the non-existent account. The case is. CU declined.--Bbb23 (talk) 19:14, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
 * - Between the username and their activities on the commons, . Please block the new sock indefinitely. Sir Sputnik (talk) 19:24, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
 * ✅. We also ought to request a global lock -, would you do the needful? Thanks! GABgab 01:33, 30 December 2017 (UTC)
 * Account locked. -- Ajraddatz (talk) 19:49, 30 December 2017 (UTC)
 * The IP's listed above have been inactive for years. No action is needed there. Closing. Sir Sputnik (talk) 22:04, 30 December 2017 (UTC)

Suspected sockpuppets



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The same obsession with proposed or spurious provinces of Pakistan ~,  ~. – Uanfala (talk) 16:17, 1 January 2018 (UTC)

Comments by other users
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Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

 * This IP appears to be relatively stable. Please block for one month, thank you. Sro23 (talk) 00:37, 7 January 2018 (UTC)
 * . GABgab 16:33, 7 January 2018 (UTC)

Suspected sockpuppets



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Virtually the same username, and the same editing pattern. – Uanfala (talk) 18:06, 1 January 2018 (UTC)

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 * - . Please block the new sock indefinitely. Sir Sputnik (talk) 19:34, 1 January 2018 (UTC)
 * ✅. GABgab 22:10, 1 January 2018 (UTC)
 * Tagging and closing. Sir Sputnik (talk) 23:23, 1 January 2018 (UTC)

Suspected sockpuppets



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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draft:Anti-Bengali_sentiment and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Bengali_sentiment –  1 9 97  kB  05:12, 15 January 2018 (UTC)

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Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments
— Berean Hunter   (talk)  16:07, 17 January 2018 (UTC)
 * as they are in the same location but using different devices.
 * - If the new draft is more or less the same as the deleted article, then please indef Blossyboy, but if there are substantial differences, please hold off on blocking. Sro23 (talk) 22:27, 23 January 2018 (UTC)
 * I took a look, and they are not too similar. I can email you the deleted page, if you like. GABgab 00:55, 24 January 2018 (UTC)
 * In that case, I'm closing with no action, please re-file if/when more evidence becomes available. Sro23 (talk) 01:10, 24 January 2018 (UTC)

Suspected sockpuppets



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Lots of overlap:
 * ZM CHRISSY MAD  ❯❯❯  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  15:33, 20 August 2018 (UTC)
 * Ugh, for some reason TW cut off the rest of my report. Give me a few to redo. CHRISSY MAD  ❯❯❯  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 * Overlap here in the following:

+same xwiki abuse and obsession with "List of national..." and have requested glock as well. CHRISSY MAD ❯❯❯  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  15:37, 20 August 2018 (UTC)
 * here, here, here etc...

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Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments
— Berean Hunter   (talk)  17:14, 2 September 2018 (UTC)
 * Same location(s)/similar ranges suggest to.
 * Afia Bi is already blocked by . A tag seems warranted. Tagging and closing. Kevin ( aka L235 ·&#32; t ·&#32; c) 02:41, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

Suspected sockpuppets



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Prolific creation of hoax articles about provinces of Pakistan, and articles about national symbols. Geolocates to the same region as previous IPs. – Uanfala (talk) 09:42, 14 November 2018 (UTC)

Comments by other users
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 * I agree with 's findings, this looks like Zeshan/Afia Bi and their "interest" in national/state symbols. An edit like Special:Diff/862119034 where they add "Pakistani cat" (nothing such exists as a breed, and it is not a national symbol) looks a lot like Afia Bi's edit in Special:Diff/854497154. Sam Sailor 10:06, 14 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Blocked for 61 days by RHaworth, I assume for the duplication of pages in ns:1 that they also created in ns:118, cf. User talk:88.106.10.74 and below. Sam Sailor 11:54, 14 November 2018 (UTC)

Suspected sockpuppets



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Both editors share the sockmaster's narrow obsession with all sorts of national symbols (flags, birds, cats, etc.), either real or imagined, of Pakistan and its constituent territories. You can look at pretty much any edit by these two, just an example: this edit by Mx Shan restores content previously added by another sock. The IP has been going around and submitting to AfC the drafts created by the globally locked (see last SPI case). – Uanfala (talk) 04:07, 10 February 2019 (UTC)

Comments by other users
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 * I'll add something to this. The account, which is already blocked here, uploaded an image at Wikimedia Commons: File:Former flag of East Pakistan (1955 - 1970).png claiming as their own work. The IP inserted this flag into East Pakistan articles of several Wikipedias: enwiki, bewiki, barwiki, ptwiki, suwiki, viwiki, yowiki, zhwiki, as well as a lot of different articles in other Wikipedias. As the uploaded image was marked as uploader's own work, the actions of adding this flag is evidently POV pushing. -★- PlyrStar93  → Message me. ← 22:24, 10 February 2019 (UTC)
 * , these two users have managed to create a large number of pages (mostly drafts and redirects). Do you think they can be G5'ed? – Uanfala (talk) 00:14, 15 February 2019 (UTC)
 * Great, thanks for dealing with them, Mz7. Do you think you would be able to also have a go at the drafts created by the previous sock: ? This is from the previous SPI case. It's possible there might be some good pages there, but the 6 or 7 I checked were all either hoaxes or copyvios. I'm intentionally excluding their only article namespace creation as I've checked it for accuracy and it's alright. – Uanfala (talk) 01:30, 15 February 2019 (UTC)
 * Please help administrate the SPI request I had done in parallel at Sockpuppet investigations/Mx Shana, same issue. AngusWOOF  ( bark  •  sniff ) 01:45, 15 February 2019 (UTC)

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

 * All accounts and IPs mentioned here appear to have already been blocked, locally or globally. For this reason, I don't think any further action is needed, and this can be archived. Mz7 (talk) 23:07, 14 February 2019 (UTC)
 * Yes, good catch. This should be ✅ now. Mz7 (talk) 00:58, 15 February 2019 (UTC)
 * I'm inclined to let the ones from November sit. They'll eventually be taken up by WP:G13 if not improved. I think there are some plausible ones sprinkled in. It's also been several months, and a few AfC reviewers have started to do work on some of them, I think. Mz7 (talk) 09:46, 15 February 2019 (UTC)

Suspected sockpuppets



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This should be dead obvious to anyone familiar with this case. The activity is broadly comparable to what's seen in the last report in the archive, and the IP's geolocation is as expected. For those who are less familiar, I'd suggest a glance at any of the IP's recent requests at Articles for creation/Redirects and categories, almost all of which are sourced to Quora posts by a user named - yes, you've guessed it - Zeshan Mahmood. – Uanfala (talk) 22:35, 17 September 2019 (UTC)

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 * IP edits too old. Closing. Bbb23 (talk) 23:20, 27 September 2019 (UTC)

Suspected sockpuppets



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Same focus as other sockpuppets. Recreated Bangalistan, which was previously created by. Please check for sleepers. MrClog (talk) 11:27, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

Comments by other users
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I don't see any connection: Zeshan Mahmood was into all manner of dubious proposed provinces or iffy national/subnational symbols to do with South Asia, while প্রসেনজিৎ পাল seems completely focussed on Bengali nationalist content. – Uanfala (talk) 12:49, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
 * It is true that previous socks were less focussed, though previous socks did edit Bengali content too. It would be handy to see whether the version of Bangalistan created by Mx Shana is similar to the version by প্রসেনজিৎ পাল. If not, they're probably unrelated. --MrClog (talk) 12:58, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

 * . The previous accounts in this archive are . The previous version of Bangalistan was created by, who simply redirected the title to East Pakistan. I'm willing to trust the judgment of Uanfala, who seems to be the most familiar with this master. For this reason, closing without action. Mz7 (talk) 14:52, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

Suspected sockpuppets



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Obviously. Same name, same focus. MrClog (talk) 15:35, 5 May 2020 (UTC)
 * By the way: I reported the user to the Stewards, who globally locked it. --MrClog (talk) 23:02, 6 May 2020 (UTC)

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 * Blocked indef per WP:DUCK. OhNo itsJamie Talk 16:21, 5 May 2020 (UTC)

Suspected sockpuppets



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User has hit seven of my "tripwire articles" set up to monitor for a reappearance of the sockmaster, all in short order. One single example if Pakistani cat, a redirect to Himalayan cat. Looking at the history of that page, it was created by, a suspected sockpuppet. Additionally, the usernames are similar (but may be a coincidence). The rapid-fire mass creation of redirects is also consistent with prior socks. I'd rather not get much more specific on account of WP:BEANS. Note that I'd block on WP:DUCK grounds but I'm not sure. The user has explicitly denied being a sockpuppet and also stated, "Appearance is not always what all seems to be nowadays?". --Yamla (talk) 15:32, 17 July 2020 (UTC) Yamla (talk) 15:32, 17 July 2020 (UTC)

Comments by other users
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 * Afshaarn's redirects need to be deleted, as they are not plausible search terms. &#8213; Susmuffin Talk 18:52, 18 July 2020 (UTC)
 * ✅ -- Tavix ( talk ) 20:29, 19 July 2020 (UTC)

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

 * I would say that the new account is fairly to .  . NinjaRobotPirate (talk) 04:11, 19 July 2020 (UTC)
 * Lock request filed. GeneralNotability (talk) 23:23, 19 July 2020 (UTC)

Suspected sockpuppets



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Almost their entire activity consists in the rapid creation of tons of redirects for purported national symbols of Pakistan and India – compare with the most recent case in the archive. One example of a re-creation of a redirect by a previous sock is National weaponry of Pakistan‎. – Uanfala (talk) 18:07, 7 June 2021 (UTC)
 * There were hundreds of these redirects, most of which I have deleted except for entities clearly indicated to be national symbols of Pakistan. Since they are now deleted contributions, you can view what they are by the deletion notices I posted on his user talk page. I was unaware that this behavior had happened before. Liz Read! Talk! 04:10, 9 June 2021 (UTC)
 * Good. But would someone be able to G5 the rest? Zeshan has occasionally created sensible redirects in the past, but in the majority of cases the "national symbols" concerned were his own inventions. – Uanfala (talk) 10:51, 9 June 2021 (UTC)

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Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

 * based on checkuser findings, but only because there's nothing current to compare against. Based on the editing pattern, this is all but certainly Zeshan Mahmood and I don't think anyone would doubt that in the slightest. No sleepers found. --Yamla (talk) 10:00, 9 June 2021 (UTC)


 * Already indeffed,, closing. It's not strictly necessary, but someone might want to switch the block reason over to socking before archiving. --Blablubbs&#124;talk 10:47, 9 June 2021 (UTC)