Former MP Naresh Gujral Duped of Rs 7.8 Crore in Cyber Fraud Scam
Former Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Gujral was defrauded of Rs 7.8 crore after scammers impersonated him on a messaging app to trick his employees. Law enforcement acted quickly, freezing over Rs 4 crore as they investigate the complex network of mule accounts used in the scam.
Highlights
- •Former MP Naresh Gujral lost Rs 7.8 crore to a sophisticated impersonation scam.
- •Cyber fraudsters used a fake messaging app account to trick the company CFO.
- •Police successfully froze Rs 4.28 crore in various bank accounts due to prompt reporting.
- •The stolen money was routed through multiple mule accounts in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
In a major incident highlighting the prevalence of cyber fraud, Naresh Gujral, a former Rajya Sabha member and son of the late Prime Minister I.K. Gujral, has fallen victim to a sophisticated scam. The 78-year-old was targeted by criminals who impersonated him on a messaging platform to deceive his staff, resulting in a financial loss of Rs 7.8 crore.
The incident occurred between June 12 and June 16, 2026. The perpetrators meticulously crafted a fake account using Naresh Gujral's photograph to gain the trust of his company’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). By masquerading as the former MP, the scammers issued urgent directives for fund transfers, claiming they were for critical business obligations.
Investigation into the Cyber Fraud Scheme
Following these instructions, the unsuspecting employee executed four separate Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) transactions over a span of four days. The deception was only realized on June 16, when Gujral's daughter discovered the unauthorized transfers and verified the situation with her father, who confirmed he had never issued any such requests.
A formal First Information Report (FIR) was registered immediately. Due to the swift reporting of this cyber fraud, local authorities were able to intervene rapidly. A senior police official stated that Rs 4.28 crore of the stolen Rs 7.8 crore has already been identified and placed under a lien or hold across various bank accounts.
Initial investigations revealed that the funds were first funneled into four primary accounts located in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. From there, the money was dispersed into approximately 30 to 40 additional mule accounts in a calculated attempt to obfuscate the financial trail and launder the illicit proceeds. The cyber investigation department is currently tracing the flow of these funds to identify the beneficiaries and the masterminds behind the scam.
Addressing the gravity of the situation, Naresh Gujral expressed gratitude for the rapid response from law enforcement. He noted that because the crime was reported promptly to the cybercrime division, authorities successfully froze more than 70 percent of the misappropriated funds. Officials remain optimistic that further amounts may be recovered as the investigation continues into the cyber fraud network. Police efforts are currently focused on apprehending the individuals who facilitated these fraudulent transactions and preventing further financial exploitation.
