In a major development, Patiala Police on Wednesday arrested a fraudster who reactivated and used former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia’s old phone number to cheat politicians and government officials.
The fraudster used to pose as Manish Sisodia’s personal assistant (PA) and reached out to leaders, ministers, and bureaucrats to solicit money.
According to the Police, the accused colluded with employees of a telecom company to illegally reactivate the deactivated phone number that previously belonged to Manish Sisodia. Once the number was operational again, he posed as the AAP leader's PA, making fraudulent calls and demands for money from high-profile individuals.
The fraud was so convincing that many initially believed they were in direct contact with someone from Sisodia’s office.
As per information received, Patiala Police suspect that the arrested man is part of a broader cybercrime gang, and more arrests are expected in the coming days. Authorities have described it as a “major cyber fraud racket”, and efforts are underway to uncover the full extent of the operation.
Further investigation revealed that the accused is a repeat offender, previously involved in another scam where he impersonated a CBI officer. His modus operandi involves exploiting the names and reputations of high-profile individuals to gain trust and extract money.