New Delhi: Naresh Gujral, a former Rajya Sabha MP and son of late Prime Minister I.K. Gujral, has been the victim of a sophisticated cyber fraud amounting to ₹7.8 crore. The incident, which occurred between June 12 and June 16, involved scammers impersonating Gujral on WhatsApp to trick an employee of his textile company into transferring funds. Delhi Police have launched a comprehensive investigation and have successfully frozen approximately ₹4 crore of the defrauded amount.
WhatsApp Impersonation Leads to Multi-Crore Fraud
The cybercriminals allegedly created a WhatsApp account using Naresh Gujral’s display picture and contacted one of his employees. Posing as Gujral, the fraudster communicated with the employee, claiming to be in a meeting and directing the immediate transfer of substantial funds via Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) to a specified bank account. Believing the instructions to be legitimate, the employee executed four separate RTGS transactions over four days, resulting in the loss of ₹7.8 crore.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that the scam was uncovered on June 16 when the transactions came to the attention of Gujral’s daughter. Upon verifying the situation with her father, it was confirmed that he had not issued any such directives. This realization led the family and company staff to understand they had fallen prey to an elaborate impersonation scam.
Swift Police Action and Recovery Efforts
Following the discovery of the fraud, Gujral’s daughter promptly contacted India’s dedicated cyber fraud helpline, 1930, and registered an electronic First Information Report (e-FIR). The Delhi Police Cyber Cell was immediately alerted and initiated an investigation. Responding swiftly to the complaint, cybercrime officials took emergency procedures that enabled them to freeze nearly 70 percent of the defrauded amount, totaling approximately ₹4 crore, across various bank accounts.
Sources indicate that this rapid recovery is unusual, as funds in such internet financial fraud cases often disappear quickly, either by being cashed out or converted into cryptocurrency. However, in this instance, the money was still flowing within the banking system when the police intervened.
Investigation Underway to Identify Perpetrators
The Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police has registered a case and is actively tracing the money trail to identify the individuals behind the impersonation. While Naresh Gujral himself is a Chartered Accountant and a senior leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal, having served as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from 2007 to 2022, the investigation is focused on apprehending the perpetrators of this elaborate scheme.
Police officials described such frauds as “boss scams,” where criminals impersonate company executives to trick employees into making unauthorized financial transactions. The investigation is ongoing, with authorities committed to uncovering the full extent of the operation and bringing the culprits to justice.
The Chenab Times News Desk