Man posing as Rahul Gandhi's aide defrauds politicians of lakhs across 3 states

The accused posed as the Congress MP's personal secretary, Kanishk Singh, to cheat party ticket-seekers after Uttarakhand leader Bhavana Pandey reported she was defrauded of Rs 25 lakh.

In Short

• Accused allegedly targeted party ticket aspirants across several states
• Reportedly created misleading Truecaller identity to gain immediate trust
• Police said fraud involved extracting crores of rupees from victims

Dehradun Police have arrested a conman who allegedly posed as the personal secretary of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to defraud politicians and party functionaries across multiple states of crores of rupees. The accused, identified as Gaurav Kumar from Punjab’s Amritsar, was apprehended under "Operation Prahar" following a complaint that exposed a wider interstate racket targeting party ticket-seekers and aspiring political leaders.

The case surfaced after Bhavana Pandey, a Congress leader from Uttarakhand, filed a complaint at Rajpur police station on May 3, alleging she was duped of Rs 25 lakh.

Police said Kumar, who had been posing as the Congress Rae Bareli MP’s aide Kanish Singh, had approached her claiming he could secure a high-ranking position within the party.

He allegedly sent an associate to collect the cash from her residence in the Jakhan area before switching off his phone and going into hiding.

Investigations revealed that Kumar impersonated Kanishk Singh and used a fake profile on caller identification platforms such as Truecaller to build credibility.

He reportedly mined data from political websites and online sources to identify potential victims, including senior party leaders and aspirants in Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, and Bihar.

By presenting himself as a trusted insider with direct access to decision-makers, he convinced victims that he could arrange election tickets or influential posts in exchange for large sums of money.

“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.

Acting on the complaint, police registered a case under Section 318 (4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and launched a coordinated operation.

Kumar was eventually intercepted at a mall in Dehradun while allegedly attempting to collect another payment from a party office-bearer in exchange for an election ticket.

Authorities used mobile surveillance, CCTV footage, and local intelligence inputs to track his movements.

During interrogation, Kumar admitted to defrauding two politicians in Jaipur of Rs 1.90 crore and Rs 12 lakh, as well as Rs 3 lakh from a Patna-based leader.

Police believe the fraud had been ongoing for an extended period, with several victims choosing not to report the incidents due to fear of reputational damage.

Officials said Kumar operated with the help of at least three associates—identified as Chajju, Rajat Mada, and Maninder Singh Kalu—who are currently absconding.

Two mobile phones and a data dongle have been recovered from the accused, which are expected to provide further leads.

The arrest has exposed a significant network of political fraud, and investigators are now working to trace additional victims and financial trails.

Police indicated that further arrests are likely as the probe into the multi-state scam continues.

- Ends