Karanjawala & Co. Represents Former MP Naresh Gujral In ₹7.8 Crore WhatsApp Impersonation Scam

Naresh Gujral, former Member of Parliament and son of former Prime Minister Shri I.K. Gujral, has been duped of approximately ₹7.8 crore in a cyber fraud involving impersonation over WhatsApp.

The fraudster allegedly used Mr. Gujral’s photograph and impersonated him on WhatsApp to contact a staff member. The impersonator falsely claimed that Mr. Gujral was occupied in a meeting and instructed the staff member to urgently transfer funds through RTGS. Acting on the fraudulent instructions, the staff member transferred substantial amounts to bank accounts provided by the accused.

The fraud came to light when suspicion arose regarding the messages, after which the matter was verified with Mr. Gujral. Upon confirmation that no such instructions had been issued by him, immediate steps were taken to report the incident to the cyber fraud helpline and the police authorities.

The matter is presently being investigated by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police. Delhi Police has arrested a 40-year-old ‘mule account holder’ from Amritsar in connection with the scam. Police said the accused, Navneet, a small-time businessman, had suffered financial losses and was in urgent need of money. He allegedly allowed his bank account to be used for receiving and transferring the cheated funds in exchange for a 5% commission.

The Delhi Police’s Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit, which registered an FIR in the case last week, has found that the stolen money was initially distributed among four first-layer accounts — two in Maharashtra and one each in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Police sources said the entire Rs 7.8 crore was first transferred to these accounts before being spread out across nearly 35 accounts nationwide and subsequently funnelled into hundreds of other accounts.

Gujral is being advised and represented by M/s Karanjawala & Co., Advocates, led by Mr. Sandeep Kapur, Senior Partner, along with Ms. Rytim Vohra Ahuja, Senior Associate, and Mr. Risabh Munjal, Associate.