Businessman creates Nationalist Congress Party leader’s fake WhatsApp account to seek money from people; held

Mumbai, July 26

A businessman allegedly created a fake WhatsApp account using the name and photo of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Praful Patel and sought money from some people abroad, including members of Qatar’s royal family, police officials said on Friday.

The businessman, Rahul Kant, a resident of Mumbai suburb of Juhu who had obtained the NCP leader’s mobile phone number from a paid application, has been detained by the Maharashtra Cyber police, an official said.

Kant used Patel’s name and photo as DP to create a fake WhatsApp account of the latter and then started demanding money. He targeted people based abroad and they included members of Qatar’s royal family, he said.

The incident came to light on July 23, when an aide of Patel, Vivek Agnihotri, approached Maharashtra Cyber officials with a complaint against an unidentified person seeking money, the official said.

A case was registered and probe launched during which cyber unit officials tracked down the man in Juhu and detained him following interrogation, he said.

The businessman was facing financial problems and hence used this modus operandi to make quick money, the official added.