Former Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Gujral, the son of late Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral, was allegedly defrauded of Rs 7.8 crore in a cyber impersonation scam, police said on Thursday. The scammers created a fake account on an online messaging platform using Gujral's display picture and tricked his company's financial staff into transferring funds.
How the Fraud Occurred
According to the Delhi Police, the fraud took place between June 12 and June 16. The impersonators sent messages to one of Gujral's employees, instructing them to transfer funds via Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) to a specified bank account for what appeared to be urgent business purposes. The employee, who had been authorized by Gujral to handle finances, executed four separate RTGS transactions over four days, resulting in a total loss of Rs 7.8 crore.
Discovery of the Scam
The scam was uncovered on June 16 when Gujral's daughter noticed the transactions and immediately verified them with her father. Naresh Gujral denied issuing any such instructions and stated he had no knowledge of the transfers. The family and company staff then realized they had fallen victim to an impersonation scam.
Police Action and Recovery
An e-FIR was filed with the Delhi Police on Tuesday, prompting an investigation. Swift action by authorities helped freeze nearly Rs 4 crore—approximately 70% of the defrauded amount—by placing liens on multiple accounts linked to the fraud. Police are now tracing the money trail and identifying the beneficiaries of the transactions.
Naresh Gujral, aged 78, served as a Rajya Sabha MP from 2014 to 2020. His father, Inder Kumar Gujral, was India's 12th Prime Minister from 1997 to 1998.
