Mumbai Man Arrested For Impersonating NCP's Praful Patel To Extort Money From Qatar's Royal Family

The accused acquired a number similar to that of the NCP leader and even used his picture as his WhatsApp display picture to demand money from the royal family.

The accused had used a number similar to that of the NCP leader and even used his picture as his WhatsApp display picture to demand money from the royal family.

Source : ABPLIVE_AI

Mumbai: A man named Rahul Kant was arrested by the Maharashtra cyber police for impersonating Nationalist Congress Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel, to extort money from Qatar's Royal Family.

Kant, a resident of Juhu, used the NCP leader's name and image as his display profile picture on WhatsApp to demand money from the royal family.

The royal family had received a message from the accused on July 20, following which they contacted Praful Patel to apprise him about the matter. Thereafter, Patel reported this to the Maharashtra cyber police, which registered an FIR against Kant under Information Technology Act 66D.

It is being said that Kant had obtained a VIP number that was similar to the one used by the NCP leader. He had acquired it through a paid application, after which he began demanding money.

The accused is currently being investigated by the cyber cell police. Further details are awaited.

Kerala Man Held For Duping Qatar Royal Family Of Rs 5.6 Crore

This isn't the first time that such an incident occurred with the royal family of Qatar.

In 2018, a Kerala man, 47, was arrested from Thrissur for allegedly cheating the royal family of Rs 5.60 crore. The Gulf-returnee had faled e-mail IDs of the royals to get the money.

Police had began investigating the matter with the help of cyber cell after receiving a complaint from the Qatar Museum Authority.

Thereafter, the account in which the amount was deposited was traced and frozen within two days time. Meanwhile, the accused, Sunil Menon, had gone into hiding after his accounts were frozen.

Kodungalur police inspector Biju Kumar, who was probing the case said: "We were told that by faking e-mail IDs of members of the royal family, he had sent a mail to the museum asking them to deposit $7,60,000 ( Rs 5.60 crore) to a purported account of an American art firm as an advance for drawing a gold-framed portrait of the King."

Menon had allegedly purchased an SUV with the swindled money and gave Rs 20 lakh as soft loans to some of his relatives, Hindustan Times reported.