Rajasthan MLA becomes victim of cyber crime

Jaipur: Cybercriminals have reportedly stolen Rs 90,000 from the bank account of Rajasthan MLA Manoj Kumar, after which he lodged a police complaint.

Surprisingly, the MLA could find that he had been duped, only after he got his passbook updated in the bank on Wednesday.

Shocked to see two transactions on August 4 and August 20, he filed a complaint at Jyoti Nagar police station in Jaipur.

Udaipur Singh, ASI, said, "The MLA in his report said that he went to the bank to get his passbook updated. However, after viewing the updated passbook, he was surprised to see two withdrawals from his account without his knowledge. While the first transaction was made on August 4, another transaction was made on August 21, making a total withdrawal of Rs 90,000 from his account."

When he enquired about the transactions, he realised that he had been duped, Singh said.

In the morning, the MLA registered the complaint.

Police have started a probe into the matter and further investigations are underway.

Investigation is underway to find the beneficiary of the cybercrime, Singh added.

Kumar won the Assembly elections from the Sadulpur seat in 2023 on Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket, defeating Congress candidate Krishna Poonia by 2,475 votes.

Around four months after winning the election, Nyangli joined Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) along with BSP MLA Jaswant Singh Gurjar from Bari. Both the MLAs left BSP and joined Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in Mumbai.

On June 18, the Rajasthan Police's Cyber Branch launched 'Operation Anti-Virus', during which, a Jamtara-like cyber hub in Mewat region was uncovered and several people involved in the crime were arrested.

The Cyber Security Bureau has been emphasising the importance of immediate action in reporting cyber fraud within the "golden hour," that is at the very moment it is realised or suspected. Immediate reporting significantly enhances the chances of freezing the fraud amount in the accused's bank accounts and digital wallets. Victims are urged to report incidents promptly by calling 1930 or visiting the cybercrime.gov.in portal.