Former Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Gujral Duped of Rs 7.8 Crore in Cyber Impersonation Fraud

Former Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Gujral was allegedly duped of Rs 7.8 crore after cyber fraudsters impersonated him on an online messaging platform and deceived his company’s financial staff into transferring money, police said on Thursday.

An e-FIR has been registered with the Delhi Police , which has launched an investigation into the fraud that took place between June 12 and June 16 . Gujral, 78, is the son of former Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral , who served as India’s 12th prime minister from 1997 to 1998.

According to investigators, the scammers first created a fake account on an online messaging application using Naresh Gujral’s display picture to make the account appear genuine. They then contacted an employee of Gujral’s company, who had access to financial transactions, and sent instructions to transfer money to a specified bank account.

The messages allegedly directed the employee to make the payments for what appeared to be urgent business-related requirements . Trusting the instructions and believing them to have come from Gujral himself, the employee carried out four separate RTGS transactions over four days , transferring a total of Rs 7.8 crore .

The fraud came to light on June 16 when the transactions were noticed by Gujral’s daughter. She contacted her father to verify the payments, following which Gujral clarified that he had not issued any such instructions and was unaware of the transfers.

After the family and company officials realised that they had been targeted through an identity impersonation scam , the matter was reported to the police.

Delhi Police officials said quick action helped them freeze nearly Rs 4 crore , around 70 per cent of the defrauded amount, by placing liens on multiple bank accounts allegedly connected to the fraud. Investigators are now tracing the movement of the remaining funds and attempting to identify the people behind the scam.

Cybercrime officials have repeatedly warned businesses and individuals against acting solely on digital messages, even when they appear to come from known contacts, and have advised verification through direct communication before executing large financial transactions.