Italy-Based Indian Man Held For Impersonating Vice President Dhankhar To Dupe Bureaucrats

A 22-year-old Indian living in Italy has been detained on Monday for posing as India’s Vice President by creating a fake WhatsApp account and using Jagdeep Dhankhar’s photo as his profile display picture to fool people and solicit favours from high bureaucrats.

According to a report by news agency PTI, Gagandeep Singh from Jammu, has been residing in Offanengo, Italy, with his family since 2007. He studied in India till Class 9 and then moved to Italy to work as a labourer at a firm.

Singh was inspired to impersonate after seeing multiple YouTube videos. Ashwani Kumar, 29, one of his associates, has also been detained. Kumar provided the OTP to Singh in order for him to build a bogus WhatsApp account, the police said.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations) Prashant Gautam, Singh watched several YouTube videos and obtained contact information for senior government officials from the internet before creating the fake WhatsApp account with a picture of the Vice President.

Using this impersonating account, he started sending messages to senior government officials to seek favours from senior bureaucracy,” he was quoted by PTI in its report.

The incident came to light after someone told the police about the fraud, and a complaint was filed as a result. Five mobile phones used in the conduct of crime were retrieved from his possession.