Dehradun police have successfully dismantled an inter-state gang that allegedly defrauded political party members across various states by leveraging information obtained from the MyNeta.info portal, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
Arrest and Modus Operandi
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramendra Dobal stated that Gaurav Kumar, a 40-year-old resident of Amritsar, was arrested on Sunday for allegedly cheating Bhavna Pandey, a Congress functionary based in Dehradun, of Rs 25 lakh. The accused promised her a senior party position in exchange for the payment.
According to the SSP, Pandey reported that the accused called her, falsely identifying himself as the personal assistant to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. He assured her a high-ranking role within the party for Rs 25 lakh. To lend credibility to his claims, he allegedly played recordings of voices belonging to senior party leaders, including Harish Rawat and Yashpal Arya, during the call, pretending to be in a meeting with them at a local hotel.
Believing the ruse, Pandey agreed to pay the amount, which Kumar collected from her residence on Saturday. After receiving the money, the accused ceased responding to her calls and messages, prompting her to file a police complaint upon realizing the fraud.
Investigation and Past Crimes
During the investigation, police analyzed CCTV footage from the area and apprehended Kumar. Interrogation revealed that he had committed similar crimes against politicians in other states, assisted by three accomplices who remain at large.
SSP Dobal further disclosed that Kumar admitted to searching online for close aides of senior political leaders and gathering details of party members from publicly accessible websites. He and his associates had previously defrauded two politicians in Jaipur in 2017 of Rs 2 crore under the pretext of offering election tickets. Similarly, they cheated a politician in Patna of Rs 3 lakh by promising a senior party position. Authorities are actively pursuing the remaining suspects.
This case highlights the misuse of publicly available data for fraudulent activities, underscoring the need for vigilance among political figures.
