A 42-year-old individual apprehended in Dehradun for allegedly cheating Congress leaders of crores by posing as Rahul Gandhi’s personal secretary has been sent to 14-day judicial custody, police said on Wednesday.
Dehradun Police said they will now seek police custody of the accused, identified as Gaurav Kumar from Amritsar, for further interrogation in the case. Kumar is accused of cheating several Congress leaders across India by promising to help them get election tickets or party posts.
“The accused has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days. We are preparing to apply for police custody remand for further investigation,” said SP (City) Pramod Kumar.
The scam came to light after Congress leader Bhavana Pandey from Dehradun filed a complaint on May 3, saying she was cheated of Rs 25 lakh by a man who promised her a senior party position.
She alleged that the accused even made her hear voices of senior Congress leaders during fake phone calls, claiming he was in a meeting with them at a Dehradun hotel. She believed the claims and paid the money, which was collected from her home by an associate of the accused. The accused later stopped taking her calls.
After realising she had been cheated, she approached the police, following which a case was registered under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Police said investigation showed the accused used a fake Truecaller ID posing as Rahul Gandhi’s personal secretary Kanishk Singh. He was identified using CCTV footage and intelligence inputs.
Police said Kumar had contacted many senior Congress leaders in Uttarakhand. He was arrested in Dehradun’s Jakhan area while attempting to collect money from another party functionary.
Police said Kumar gathered details of Kanishk Singh, who served as personal secretary to a senior Congress leader from 2003 to 2015, and used his identity to create a fake profile. He also collected information about Congress leaders in Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Bihar from public websites like myneta.info.
With help from three associates, Chajju, Rajat Mada and Maninder Singh Kalu from Punjab, Kumar carried out multiple frauds, police said. Cases against him already exist in Haryana, Rajasthan and Bihar.
Investigating officer Suraj Singh said the accused is a habitual offender with a strong interest in politics. He is married, has two children, and comes from a poor financial background.
Police also said the gang allegedly targeted Congress leader Sonia Anand Rawat, demanding Rs 15 lakh for a party post. Verification is underway.
Earlier, Kumar allegedly cheated two Jaipur-based leaders in 2017 of Rs 1.90 crore and Rs 12 lakh, and another leader in Patna of Rs 3 lakh in 2025.
Police said the fraud has been going on for years, but many victims did not report it due to fear of embarrassment. Investigations are on to find more possible victims.
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