Cyber fraud nets 7.8 crore rupees from Naresh Gujral's company in India

Scammers impersonated former Rajya Sabha member Naresh Gujral on WhatsApp, using his profile picture to send fraudulent messages to a senior finance officer of his company. Over four days the officer transferred a total of about 7.8 crore rupees (≈ US$1 million) to accounts supplied by the fraudsters, believing the instructions came from Gujral himself.

The scheme was uncovered when Gujral's daughter, Diṣka, contacted her father about the transfers. Naresh Gujral confirmed he had given no such orders, prompting the family to lodge a complaint with the cyber‑crime helpline. Delhi police quickly froze roughly half of the money and launched an investigation into the fraud, which appears to be part of a broader rise in WhatsApp‑based scams targeting high‑profile individuals.