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The Cyber police have arrested two persons in connection with a major cyber fraud in which Elathur MLA Vidya Balakrishnan was offered a Cabinet Minister’s post in exchange for ₹3 crore. The accused were identified as Gourav, 26, and Nitin Kumar,26, both residents of Sapera Basti in East Delhi.
The breakthroughs came during a trip to New Delhi by an investigation team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police (Cyber Cell) S.M. Pradeep Kumar. The police revealed the fraudulent operation involved multiple individuals, with a significant part of the network based in New Delhi.
Police sources said the address of the owner of the SIM card used in the scam had already been tracked with the assistance of the Hi-Tech Crime Inquiry Cell before the arrests.
The incident took place on July 6, when Ms. Balakrishnan received a call in English from a man identifying himself as ‘D.S. Rajkumar,’ claiming to be the private secretary to All India Congress Committee general secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The caller claimed that he had obtained her contact number from an MP from Kerala.
Growing suspicious, the MLA contacted Ms. Vadra’s office, which confirmed it was a scam. Following the party leadership’s advice, she lodged a formal complaint with the Cyber police on July 11.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the fraudsters had targeted several other MPs and MLAs across Kerala with similar offers. Ms. Vadra’s office had also taken up the matter directly with the State Police Chief Ravada A. Chandrasekhar, seeking appropriate action.
Published – July 26, 2026 04:16 pm IST
