The Thanesar City Police have registered a criminal case after a senior leader representing the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee was defrauded of ₹10 lakh. The financial crime was executed by an unidentified individual masquerading as the personal secretary to the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. Following an escalation to senior law enforcement, the Superintendent of Police directed immediate technical teams to track the communications and digital footprints associated with the scam.
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Fictitious Administrative Demands and VVIP Promises
The structural manipulation began when Sanjiv, an executive committee member of the state unit residing in Bhukri village, received an unsolicited WhatsApp call. The caller falsely identified himself as Kanishk Singh, the personal secretary attached to the high command. To build immediate institutional urgency, the caller claimed that a major, fast-tracked training program for the Uttarakhand Congress unit was being set up in Chandigarh and urgently required temporary financial assistance from local loyalists.
The caller convinced the local leader that because several top-tier national party figures would be attending the session, Sanjiv would be tasked with overseeing high-profile logistical needs and hotel accommodation arrangements. The perpetrators solidified the trap by promising the executive member an exclusive personal audience with senior central leaders. Driven by organizational pressure and the desire to build high-level political rapport, Sanjiv partnered with fellow party leader Pawan Sharma, with both individuals rapidly pooling together ₹5 lakh each to meet the requested target.
Parking Lot Cash Drops and Sudden Blackouts
The transaction phase entered its final setup late that night around 11:00 PM, when the fictitious secretary directed the leaders to drive directly to a designated hotel parking lot in Chandigarh. Upon arrival, they were met by a proxy courier identifying himself only as “Deepak”. Following a brief verification phone call with the primary handler to confirm clearance, Sanjiv handed over the ₹10 lakh cash block. However, as an unplanned security precaution, the executive leader surreptitiously snapped a smartphone photograph of the courier during the physical exchange.
The deception collapsed the next day when the digital caller attempted to squeeze the victim further, demanding an immediate secondary payment of ₹5 lakh. When Sanjiv refused to route supplementary liquidity, the operator cut off all ties and stopped answering any incoming communications. Direct follow-up verifications with real central party managers eventually confirmed that no training seminars had ever been scheduled for Chandigarh, revealing the entire sequence as an absolute fabrication.
Reporting Delays and State Enforcement Mobilization
Superintendent of Police Chander Mohan confirmed that the state police wing has mobilized specialized cyber and local field units to systematically inspect the target mobile numbers and cross-examine the physical photograph captured at the cash drop site. The victim acknowledged to investigating officers that he initially withheld reporting the incident for months due to intense social and professional embarrassment surrounding the political impersonation.
He ultimately decided to come forward after reviewing public warnings detailing parallel political impersonation rings on WhatsApp and observing recent multi-jurisdictional arrests executed by the Uttarakhand Police in identical high-profile impersonation cases. Law enforcement officials have issued an updated notice to public figures and political administrators, emphasizing that official fund mandates are never processed through unauthorized social media channels or handled via unverified midnight parking lot transactions.
