Patna : A man impersonating a senior aide to Rahul Gandhi has been arrested in Patna for allegedly defrauding Congress leaders by promising party positions and election tickets in exchange for money, police said.
Rajat Kumar, a resident of Sirsa in Haryana, posed as Kanishka Singh — the personal assistant to Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha — and reportedly targeted Congress officials across several states, including Bihar, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
Rajat was arrested at a hotel near Gandhi Maidan, while an alleged accomplice, Gaurav Sharma, believed to be the mastermind, managed to flee. The two men were reportedly staying at the Lemon Tree hotel on Exhibition Road.
According to police, the duo contacted Praveen Kushwaha, a Congress leader in Bihar, and offered to make him the acting state president of the party in return for Rs 15–20 lakh. Believing the offer to be genuine, Kushwaha travelled to Delhi while his associate, Aditya, arranged to meet the fraudsters in Patna.
Gaurav is said to have collected Rs 2 lakh in cash from Aditya before slipping away. Suspicion arose shortly afterwards, and Aditya and others confronted Kumar at the hotel and alerted local police.
“Rajat has been taken into custody and a case has been registered,” said the officer in charge at Gandhi Maidan police station. “Efforts are underway to track down Sharma, who is currently absconding with his mobile phone switched off.”
During police interrogation, Rajat admitted to the fraud, claiming he received a 10% commission from the money extracted. He also alleged that Sharma had access to phone numbers and personal details of senior Congress figures, which were used to lend credibility to the scam.
Investigators believe the duo also contacted Afaque Alam, a former Bihar minister and current Congress MLA, offering a post in the state unit in return for a large sum. Alam reportedly declined the offer.
