Fake Rahul Gandhi aide held for ₹25 lakh fraud, nationwide ticket scam busted

A nationwide impersonation racket targeting Congress leaders across India has been busted with the arrest of a 42-year-old man who allegedly posed as a close aide of Rahul Gandhi to swindle money on the promise of party tickets and positions.

Police in Dehradun recently said the accused, Amritsar-native Gaurav Kumar, was apprehended after a complaint by state Congress leader Bhavna Pandey, who alleged she was cheated of ₹25 lakh. The arrest followed a coordinated probe involving mobile surveillance, CCTV analysis and local intelligence inputs.

According to investigators, Kumar operated by impersonating Kanishk Singh — known to have served as a personal secretary to Rahul Gandhi between 2003 and 2015 — using a fabricated identity on caller platforms. He allegedly mined publicly available data via Google to build detailed profiles of senior leaders and their associates, enabling him to convincingly pitch access and influence.

Pandey told police that the caller, identifying himself as Kanishk Singh, demanded ₹25 lakh in exchange for securing her a key organizational role in Uttarakhand. To bolster credibility, she alleged, the accused orchestrated speakerphone conversations with individuals he claimed were senior leaders, including Harish Rawat, Harak Singh Rawat, Yashpal Arya and Ganesh Godiyal.

She further alleged that the caller cited arrangements for “around 12 MLAs” staying at a five-star hotel in Dehradun for nearly 10 days, claiming expenses of ₹22.5 lakh, and pressed her to pay ₹25 lakh. On April 13, an associate of the accused allegedly collected the cash from her residence in Jakhan. Communication ceased immediately after, and the money was not returned.

Pandey also claimed similar approaches were made to other party leaders across states including Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand, suggesting a wider networked fraud. “They have committed fraud in several states… such gangs must be exposed so others are not cheated,” she said in her complaint.

A case was registered at Rajpur Police Station under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police said Kumar was in touch with multiple senior leaders in Uttarakhand and was planning to collect more money near Pacific Mall, Jakhan, when he was tracked.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to earlier instances of fraud. In 2017 in Jaipur, he is said to have collected ₹1.90 crore and ₹12 lakh from two leaders on the promise of MLA tickets. In 2025 in Patna, he allegedly took ₹3 lakh from a political worker for securing a party position.

Investigations are ongoing to identify accomplices and map the full extent of the multi-state operation.