Man poses as Rahul Gandhi's aide, swindles crores of rupees from Congress leaders for assembly tickets

Dehradun: A digital conman who used a fake 'Truecaller' profile to impersonate as an aide of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and swindle crores of rupees from ticket-seekers in multiple states was arrested here, police said on Tuesday.

The scam came to light after Uttarakhand Congress leader Bhavana Pandey lodged a complaint at the Rajpur police station on May 3, alleging she was duped of Rs 25 lakh by a man who claimed he could secure her a high-ranking position.

According to the police, the accused, Gaurav Kumar, who is a resident of Amritsar, allegedly promised senior party functionaries in Uttarakhand and other states influential posts or assembly tickets in exchange for money.

Investigations revealed Kumar allegedly posed as Gandhi’s personal secretary Kanishk Singh, using data mined from political websites to target victims across Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Bihar.

"The accused had stopped answering calls after the money was delivered to his associate at Pandey's residence in Jakhan area last month," a senior police officer said.

Following the complaint, police registered a case under Section 318 (4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and launched an operation.

Kumar was intercepted at a mall in the area while allegedly trying to collect another payment from a party office-bearer in exchange for an election ticket, the officer said.

During questioning, Kumar admitted to defrauding two leaders in Jaipur of Rs 1.90 crore and Rs 12 lakh, along with another Rs 3 lakh from a Patna-based politician.

The police said the fraud had been on for a long time, but many victims refrained from reporting the matter fearing loss of face.

The police are now tracking Kumar's three associates -- identified as Chajju, Rajat Mada, and Maninder Singh Kalu -- who assisted in the multi-state racket.