The Kerala police have launched an investigation after a man, allegedly posing as the private secretary to Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, attempted to cheat public representatives from the State by demanding money.
The case was registered on a complaint filed by D.S. Rajkumar, Ms. Vadra’s private secretary, with State Police Chief Ravada A. Chandrasekhar and Wayanad District Police Chief S. Deva Manohar.
According to the complaint, the accused impersonated Rajkumar and contacted MLA Vidya Balakrishnan and MPs Shafi Parambil and Dean Kuriakose of the Congress. Mr. Rajkumar alleged that the man misused his identity and the name of Ms. Vadra’s office to demand money from public representatives.
The Wayanad cyber police registered a case on July 15 under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, relating to impersonation and cheating. Earlier, the Kozhikode cyber police on July 11 had registered a case based on a complaint lodged by Ms. Balakrishnan.
The police said Ms. Balakrishnan had received a WhatsApp call around 2 p.m. on July 6 from a man claiming to be Rajkumar from Ms. Vadra’s office in New Delhi. The caller allegedly claimed that a Cabinet reshuffle was likely in Kerala, and that she could become a Minister if she paid ₹3 crore.
The conversation, held in English, lasted around 10 minutes. The MLA became suspicious during the call, particularly after the caller claimed that an MP from Kozhikode had referred her, the police said.
After the call, Ms. Balakrishnan contacted the MP, who told her that a person claiming to be from the All India Congress Committee office had earlier sought the contact numbers of her and another MLA. She then contacted Ms. Vadra’s office, which confirmed that the call was part of an impersonation attempt.
Investigators have traced the call to New Delhi and identified a suspect based on the phone number used. The police are verifying whether the SIM card was obtained using forged identity documents. A police team is expected to travel to New Delhi as part of the investigation.
Published - July 16, 2026 09:16 pm IST