In a sophisticated case of impersonation and voice-mimicry, a Dehradun woman was defrauded of Rs 25 lakh by a scammer claiming to be the Personal Assistant (PA) to Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi. The victim, Bhavna Pandey, was promised an election ticket in exchange for “funding” party expenses.
Dehradun’s Rajpur Police have since arrested the primary suspect, identified as Gaurav Kumar from Amritsar, who reportedly belongs to an inter-state gang specializing in targeting political aspirants.
The Modus Operandi
The scammer used a combination of social engineering and technical trickery to build credibility:
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The Identity: The accused contacted Pandey identifying himself as “Kanishka,” Gandhi’s PA.
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Voice Mimicry: To gain her absolute trust, he played audio clips mimicking several prominent Congress leaders, including:
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Harish Rawat (Former Uttarakhand CM)
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Yashpal Arya (State MLA)
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Ganesh Godiyal (Uttarakhand Congress President)
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Harak Singh Rawat (Former State Minister)
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The Setup: He convinced the victim that these leaders were staying at a local Dehradun hotel for assembly constituency surveys and needed immediate funds for operational expenses, promising reimbursement later.
Financial Breakdown of the Scam
The victim was manipulated into making payments through multiple channels between April and May 2026:
| Transaction Date | Amount | Mode of Payment |
| April 13, 2026 | Rs 9.5 Lakh | Bank Transfer |
| Subsequent Dates | ~Rs 5 Lakh | Cash (Handed to an accomplice) |
| Instalments | ~Rs 10.5 Lakh | Various Transfers |
| Total Loss | Rs 25 Lakh | — |
The accomplice who collected the cash was falsely introduced to the victim as an “MLA from Maharashtra” to further the illusion of high-level political involvement.
Investigation and Arrest
After Pandey realized she had been duped—following the accused cutting off all contact and missing reimbursement deadlines—she approached the authorities.
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Police Action: Rajpur Police registered the case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
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The Catch: Using CCTV footage and digital tracking, police apprehended Gaurav Kumar.
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Criminal History: Interrogation revealed that Kumar used the MyNeta.info portal to gather details on political functionaries. He has previously been linked to similar frauds in Jaipur (Rs 2 crore scam) and Patna.
Safety Note: Authorities have urged citizens and political workers to remain vigilant against such high-tech impersonation scams. Official party transactions and ticket allocations never occur through private “expense funding” requests via unauthorized assistants.
