Archive · 20 Jul 2026
Kerala Police Probe Cyber Scam Offering Ministerial Berths
In Kerala, India, some politicians received WhatsApp calls from people pretending to be someone important.
They offered the politicians big jobs in the government if they paid a lot of money.
One politician, Vidya Balakrishnan, realized it was a trick and reported it to the police.
The police are now investigating and trying to find out who did this.
They think the scammers used a fake phone number to hide their identity.
This is not the first time something like this has happened in India, but there's no proof that any political party is involved in this specific case.
Kerala politicians received WhatsApp calls offering ministerial berths in exchange for ₹3 crore.
The scammers impersonated DS Rajkumar, Priyanka Gandhi's private secretary.
Vidya Balakrishnan, an MLA, verified the call and reported it to the police.
The police are investigating and suspect the use of a mule SIM card from Delhi.
Similar impersonation scams have been reported in the past, but no political party involvement has been proven.
- Who
- Kerala politicians, including Vidya Balakrishnan, Shafi Parambil, and Dean Kuriakose
- What
- Cyber scam offering ministerial berths in exchange for money
- When
- Earlier this month (specific date not mentioned)
- Where
- Kerala, India
- Why
- To exploit political ambitions and trusted contacts through WhatsApp-based fraud
- Victim
- Vidya Balakrishnan (MLA from Elathur constituency)
- Impersonated Person
- DS Rajkumar (Priyanka Gandhi's private secretary)
- Amount Demanded
- ₹3 crore (30 million rupees)
- SIM Card Origin
- Delhi
- Legal Action
- FIR registered under BNS and IT Act, 2000