Illustration by Satheesh Vellinezhi

The Cyber police have identified the prime suspect in a major cyber fraud gang that called Kerala MLA Vidya Balakrishnan allegedly offering her a Cabinet minister’s post in exchange for ₹3 crore.

An investigation team led by Assistant Commissioner (Cyber Cell) S.M. Pradeep Kumar zeroed in on the suspect during their visit to New Delhi as part of the intensified probe. Investigators have revealed that many individuals are involved in the racket, with several of them based in New Delhi.

Police sources said the address of the SIM card owner had already been tracked with the support of the hi-tech crime inquiry cell for action. On July 6, Ms. Balakrishnan received a call in English from a caller who identified himself as Rajkumar, secretary to Priyanka Gandhi, MP.

The caller claimed to have obtained her contact number from an MP in Kerala. Growing suspicious, she reported the incident to Priyanka Gandhi’s office and confirmed that it was a scam. Following instructions from the party leadership, she approached the Cyber police for action on July 11.

Similar calls to others

Later, the police found that the fraudsters made similar calls to many other MPs and MLAs in Kerala with the same offer. Noticing the gravity of the complaint, the office of Priyanka Gandhi also had taken up the incident with the State Police Chief for immediate action.

Published - July 22, 2026 04:15 pm IST