Kozhikode, 15 July (HS) :

Kerala Police's Cyber Wing has launched an investigation after a fraudster allegedly impersonated an official from Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi's office and attempted to dupe Elathur MLA Vidya Balakrishnan by offering her a ministerial berth in exchange for ₹3 crore.

The alleged fraud came to light after the MLA filed a complaint with the Kozhikode Cyber Cell, reporting that she had received a suspicious WhatsApp call on July 6 from a man identifying himself as Rajkumar. The caller claimed to be attached to Priyanka Gandhi's office and allegedly told her that an impending reshuffle of the Kerala Cabinet would create an opportunity for her to become a minister if she paid ₹3 crore.

According to the complaint, the caller further claimed that he had obtained the MLA's contact number through another Member of Parliament from Kozhikode district. The entire conversation was held in English.

Although she immediately became suspicious about the authenticity of the call, the MLA reportedly chose not to confront the caller. Instead, she pretended to cooperate with the demand in an attempt to gather more information that could help investigators identify the fraudster.

After ending the call, Balakrishnan contacted the MP whose name had been mentioned by the caller. The MP informed her that he had earlier received a similar phone call from a person claiming to be associated with the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters and had shared the phone numbers of two MLAs from Kozhikode district.

The MLA and the MP subsequently contacted both the Congress party headquarters and Priyanka Gandhi's office. Officials there confirmed that no one from the MP's office had made such calls.

Balakrishnan lodged a formal complaint with the Cyber Cell on July 11. Police sources said preliminary investigation indicates that the WhatsApp call originated from Delhi. Cyber investigators are now tracing the caller and examining whether similar attempts were made to target other political leaders.

The MLA declined to comment on the incident, stating that the Congress party would issue its official response after the investigation progresses.

Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman