- A woman from Dehradun was cheated of Rs 25 lakh by a scammer posing as Rahul Gandhi's PA
- The accused used audio clips mimicking political leaders to gain the victim's trust
- The scammer claimed Congress leaders were conducting surveys and needed funds for expenses
A woman has been cheated of Rs 25 lakh by a scammer who posed as the personal assistant of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and promised her an election ticket in exchange for money.
Bhavna Pandey, a resident of Dehradun, said in her complaint that the accused contacted her over the phone and identified himself as Kanishka.
The accused claimed to be Gandhi's PA and gained Pandey's trust by playing audio clips mimicking the voices of multiple political leaders, including former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, state MLA Yashpal Arya, former state minister Harak Singh Rawat and Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal.
The complaint further stated that the accused convinced her that the Congress leaders and MLAs were staying at a hotel in Dehradun. He told her that the leaders were conducting surveys of assembly constituencies and required funds for expenses. This was followed by demands for money from her, with the accused promising to reimburse her later.
The first transaction of Rs 9.5 lakh was made by Pandey from her bank account on April 13. After that, she handed over about Rs 5 lakh in cash and paid the remaining amount in instalments to another accomplice of the accused, who was falsely introduced as an MLA from Maharashtra.
In total, Pandey paid Rs 25 lakh to the scammers. When she asked for her money back, the accused started making excuses and giving her different deadlines before cutting off all contact.
Upon realising that she was scammed, Pandey filed a complaint with the police. Based on that, the Rajpur Police registered a case under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). An investigation has been launched to trace the culprits.
