'Will make you minister if you give Rs 3 crore'; MLA receives fake call promising minister berth

KOZHIKODE: Elathur MLA Vidya Balakrishnan received a fake WhatsApp call from a person who claimed that she could become a minister if she paid Rs 3 crore. The caller said that the state cabinet would be reshuffled soon and demanded Rs 3 crore in exchange for making her a minister. He claimed to be calling from the office of Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi. The MLA became suspicious and contacted Priyanka Gandhi's office, which confirmed that no such call had been made. She then filed a complaint with the Kozhikode Cyber Cell.

The MLA received the WhatsApp call on July 6. The conversation was in English. The caller introduced himself as Rajkumar from the Wayanad MP's office. He also claimed that an MP from the district had shared the MLA's phone number with him. Realising that it was a scam, Vidya Balakrishnan decided to continue the conversation. She told the caller that she was willing to pay the money and asked how he planned to make her a minister.

During the nearly 10-minute conversation, the caller explained what he described as an "operation" to secure her appointment as a minister. After the call ended, the MLA contacted the MP whom the caller claimed had shared her phone number. The MP said he had earlier received a call from a person claiming to be from the AICC headquarters, who had asked for the phone numbers of two MLAs from the district. The MLA and the MP then contacted Priyanka Gandhi's office together, where they were informed that the call was fake. The Cyber Cell has confirmed that the WhatsApp call originated from Delhi. A detailed investigation into the incident is currently underway.