Gujarat assembly polls: Wannabe MLAs fall prey to cybercrooks

VADODARA: When he got a call from a man identifying himself as close to the high command of a national party, a sitting MLA from south Gujarat was rapturous. The caller promised him ticket for upcoming assembly polls. In the high of getting a ticket, the MLA remained unaware that a gang of cybercrooks was fleecing him. He even ended up paying Rs 1.50 lakh as asked on the phone.
At least four politicians from central and south Gujarat have been targeted by this gang in the last 12 days and two of the victims have filed a police complaint.
"The caller discussed the campaign of that MLA along with the party's poll prospects. He then told the MLA that some party observers will be visiting Gujarat to finalize candidates. The MLA was asked to bear their hotel expenses and they demanded money for it," said a police official. The MLA transferred the amount but later realized that he was conned. "He didn't file a complaint as it would have meant that he had paid money to get a ticket," a Congress leader told TOI.
With dozens of candidates vying for tickets, cyber-fraudsters have come up with a new modus operandi to mint money.
Former Vadodara MP Satyajitsinh Gaekwad and sitting councillor Chandrakant Srivastava have also got similar calls and they filed a complaint with the cybercrime police station. "The caller demanded money to bear expenses of poll observers who would then favour my name as the candidate. Senior leaders in Delhi confirmed that some conmen were duping Congress leaders," Gaekwad said.
The gang sends QR codes or bank details asking the politicians to transfer money in two bank accounts. Once the money is sent, the fraudsters go incommunicado. Another leader active near Vadodara too got a similar call and he reportedly paid some money. "We traced the conmen to Punjab and they will be nabbed soon. A similar fraud happened during Bihar polls in 2020 and those arrested were also from Punjab," said Hardik Makadia, ACP (cybercrime).
"There would be many more such politicians across parties in Gujarat targeted by the gang. We will investigate if they file a complaint," Gaekwad added. The gang has detailed knowledge of Gujarat politics and background of several candidates, indicating that it may be an inside job.
"The caller had details of prospective candidates, past poll results and information about the assembly segments. That's why some believe that the caller is actually connected with the top leadership. We have discussed it among fellow leaders and asked everyone to be alert," Gaekwad added.
& 3