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How a fake ‘Rahul Gandhi secretary’ swindled crores from Congress leaders across states
The man impersonated Kanishk Singh, who earlier served as Gandhi’s secretary, using a fake Truecaller identity.
A man accused of posing as Rahul Gandhi’s secretary to cheat Congress leaders across several states out of crores of rupees is now in custody.
Gaurav Kumar (42) from Amritsar was arrested in Dehradun after allegedly collecting money from Congress leaders by promising party posts and election tickets, news agency PTI reported.
Police say he impersonated Kanishk Singh, who earlier served as Gandhi’s secretary, using a fake Truecaller account. A local court has sent Kumar to 14-day judicial custody. Dehradun Police said it will seek his remand for further questioning.
“The arrested accused has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days. We are preparing to apply for PCR (police custody remand) for further investigation in the case,” superintendent of police (city) Pramod Kumar said.
Complaint that exposed the operation
The case came to light after Dehradun-based Congress leader Bhavana Pandey filed a complaint at Rajpur police station on May 3, alleging she had been cheated of ₹25 lakh.
Pandey told police that Kumar promised to secure her a senior role in the party and even played recordings of voices he claimed were top Congress leaders during calls from a hotel in Dehradun. Convinced by his claims, she handed over the money through one of his associates.
According to police, the accused stopped responding after receiving the payment.
Pandey later alleged that Kumar told her the Congress high command was unhappy with Uttarakhand Congress chief Ganesh Godiyal and that money was needed to facilitate leadership changes in the state unit.
How the fake ‘PA’ averted suspicion
Investigators say Kumar built credibility by creating a fake Truecaller profile in the name of Kanishk Singh and gathering information about Congress leaders from public sources including myneta.info.
Police allege he, along with associates Chajju, Rajat Mada and Maninder Singh Kalu from Punjab, targeted leaders in Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.
According to investigators, Kumar was arrested in Dehradun’s Jakhan area while allegedly attempting to collect money from another Congress office-bearer.
Police said cases had already been registered against him in Haryana, Rajasthan and Bihar. Authorities say the accused came from a financially weak background and is married with two children, as per an Indian Express report.
Previous alleged fraud cases
Police claim the operation stretched back several years.
Investigators allege that in Jaipur in 2017, Kumar defrauded two Congress leaders of ₹1.90 crore and ₹12 lakh while posing as Gandhi’s secretary. In Patna in 2025, he allegedly cheated another leader of ₹3 lakh.
Police believe more victims may exist. Another Congress leader, Sonia Anand Rawat, was also allegedly approached for money.
(With PTI inputs)
