Delhi Police have arrested a 44-year-old man for allegedly cheating a Dwarka businessman of ₹1.69 lakh by posing as the spouse of a prominent political leader and asking for urgent money to pay a student’s fee.
The accused, Bhalinder Pal Singh, allegedly used an Ashoka emblem as his messaging-app profile picture to make the account appear official. Police say he told the businessman that the fee would later be reimbursed through the politician’s office.
The businessman transferred money to multiple accounts and also booked a Delhi-Lucknow flight ticket before realising he had allegedly been deceived.
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Urgent fee request was used to build pressure
The complainant, a businessman from Dwarka Sector 6, told police that he received a call from a person claiming to be the spouse of a prominent political leader.
The caller allegedly said a student’s fee had to be paid urgently because the person responsible for making the payment was on leave.
He assured the businessman that the amount would be reimbursed through the office later.
Believing the request, the businessman transferred a total of ₹1.69 lakh to different bank accounts supplied by the caller.
He also booked a flight ticket from Delhi to Lucknow, according to police.
The case was registered at Dwarka South Police Station on September 13 after the businessman approached police with a complaint.
Ashoka emblem allegedly used to create official appearance
Police say Singh created the messaging account using a SIM card registered under a fake identity.
He allegedly used the Ashoka emblem as the profile picture to create the impression that he was connected to a government or political office.
That visual detail appears to have been part of the trust-building process.
Fraudsters often rely on symbols of authority, official-looking profile pictures, political names or government terminology to persuade victims that a request is genuine.
The use of an emblem does not itself prove government affiliation, and police say the identity being used in this case was false.
Police traced internet connection behind fake account
Investigators examined the technical information connected with the messaging account after the complaint was registered.
Police obtained the IP address used when the account was created and worked with the telecom service provider to identify the internet connection associated with it.
That trail eventually led investigators to Sector 43 in Gurugram.
Police say officers checked around 120 houses before locating Singh.
He was allegedly living there under another identity, “Jasraj Sehgal”.
Two Aadhaar cards bearing the same number were also allegedly recovered from his possession.
SUV allegedly used to project influence
Police say Singh used an SUV to reinforce the impression that he was an influential person.
Investigators allege that the vehicle had been rented using a fake driving licence and an Aadhaar card carrying another person’s name.
That detail fits the wider impersonation pattern described by police.
A fraudster pretending to have political or official connections may rely not only on phone calls but also on visual signals such as expensive vehicles, official symbols or high-profile names.
The objective is to reduce the victim’s willingness to question the request.
Police say accused used multiple political identities earlier
The latest case is not Singh’s first alleged impersonation offence.
Police say he had previously posed as a mayor, personal assistant to an MLA and a relative of Members of Parliament in separate cheating cases registered in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana.
Those earlier allegations are relevant because they suggest the same basic method may have been reused with different identities.
The alleged target changes, but the structure remains similar: claim proximity to political power, create urgency and persuade the victim to transfer money.
Police have not publicly identified the political leader whose spouse Singh allegedly impersonated in the current case.
That should remain unspecified unless investigators officially release the name.
25 previous cases cited by police
Delhi Police described Singh as a habitual offender.
They said he had previously been involved in 25 cases relating to cheating, impersonation, extortion and offences under the Prison Act.
Police also said he had been declared a proclaimed offender in four cases.
Non-bailable warrants were reportedly pending against him in four other cheating cases registered across Delhi, Punjab and Haryana. NDTV
These are police-record assertions rather than findings in the present case.
The current ₹1.69 lakh fraud allegations will still have to be established independently through investigation and court proceedings.
Political-name scams rely on borrowed authority
The case shows why impersonation involving politicians, bureaucrats or police officers can be particularly effective.
The victim may believe the caller has access to government machinery, official reimbursements or influential contacts.
That can make an unusual request sound credible.
A genuine official or political office should still be independently verified through publicly available or previously known contact details before any transfer is made.
Messages should not be trusted simply because they use an emblem, official photograph or familiar political name.
Investigation continues into wider fraud network
Police are now examining whether Singh used the same SIM cards, devices, bank accounts or fake identities to target additional victims.
The different beneficiary accounts used to receive the ₹1.69 lakh will also be important.
Investigators can trace who controlled those accounts, whether the funds were transferred onward and whether other people helped receive or withdraw the money.
The case may therefore expand beyond the single impersonation complaint if similar transactions or victims emerge.
Singh has been arrested, but the allegations remain subject to investigation and trial.
What this means for you: Never transfer money simply because a caller claims to be connected to a politician or government office. Verify the identity independently through official contact details, and treat requests involving urgency, reimbursement promises or multiple bank accounts as major warning signs.
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