The accused, Gaurav Kumar, a resident of Amritsar, was taken into custody from Dehradun for allegedly collecting large sums of money from Congress functionaries
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi
A 42-year-old man accused of impersonating a secretary to senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and cheating party leaders across multiple states of crores of rupees has been arrested, police said on Friday.
The accused, Gaurav Kumar, a resident of Amritsar, was taken into custody from Dehradun for allegedly collecting large sums of money from Congress functionaries by promising party positions and election tickets.
He has been sent to 14 days’ judicial custody by a local court, police said, adding that they would seek his police remand for further questioning.
Superintendent of Police (City) Pramod Kumar said the investigation was continuing and efforts were underway to identify additional victims and recover the money allegedly collected by the accused.
Complaint that exposed the racket
The case surfaced after Dehradun-based Congress leader Bhavana Pandey lodged a complaint at Rajpur police station on May 3, accusing Kumar of cheating her of ₹25 lakh. Pandey told investigators that Kumar had claimed proximity to the Congress high command and promised her a senior organisational role.
According to the complaint, the accused played audio recordings during phone calls, claiming they were voices of senior Congress leaders, to bolster his credibility. Trusting his assurances, Pandey handed over the money through one of his associates. Communication allegedly ceased soon after the payment was made.
Pandey further claimed that Kumar told her the Congress leadership was dissatisfied with the Uttarakhand unit’s functioning and that funds were required to facilitate changes within the state organisation.
How the impersonation worked
Police said Kumar posed as Kanishk Singh, a former secretary to Rahul Gandhi, by creating a fake profile on the caller identification app Truecaller.
He allegedly gathered personal and political details of Congress leaders from publicly accessible sources, including election affidavit databases, to sound convincing during conversations.
Investigators allege that Kumar operated with the help of associates Chajju, Rajat Mada and Maninder Singh Kalu, all from Punjab, and targeted Congress leaders in Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.
He was arrested from Dehradun’s Jakhan area while allegedly attempting to collect money from another Congress office-bearer. Police said cases linked to similar allegations had already been registered against him in Haryana, Rajasthan and Bihar.
Earlier cases under scanner
According to investigators, the alleged fraud dates back several years. Police claim that in Jaipur in 2017, Kumar cheated two Congress leaders of ₹1.90 crore and ₹12 lakh by posing as Rahul Gandhi’s secretary. In Patna in 2025, he allegedly duped another party leader of ₹3 lakh using a similar modus operandi.
Police believe more victims may come forward as the probe progresses. Another Congress leader, Sonia Anand Rawat, is also said to have been approached for money.
Authorities said the accused comes from a financially weak background and is married with two children. Further arrests and recoveries are likely as the investigation expands across states, police added.
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