In early October, a senior police officer in Uttar Pradesh found himself the target of an attempted cyber fraud that involved impersonation at the highest levels of law enforcement. Rakesh Kumar, the Superintendent of Police posted in Khagaria district, received an unexpected WhatsApp message on his official number on October 10. The sender introduced himself as Vinay Kumar, the Director General of Bihar Police, and quickly forwarded a bank account number with instructions to transfer a substantial sum of money. The message was designed to appear urgent and authoritative, attempting to exploit the identity of one of Bihar’s top police officials.
Sensing something was amiss, SP Rakesh Kumar did not respond to the request and instead promptly filed a formal complaint at the local police station. The Khagaria police registered a case and constituted a special team to investigate the digital trail behind the message. Their first lead came from tracing the email ID linked to the bank account provided in the fraudulent communication. This key detail helped investigators narrow down suspects with greater precision.
As the technical analysis progressed, the police tracked the email trail back to two individuals — Madhukant Kumar and Nikhil Kumar — both residents of Vaishali district in Bihar. The investigative team moved swiftly, locating and arresting the duo. During interrogation, the two men confessed to having orchestrated the impersonation and attempting to deceive the Superintendent of Police for financial gain.
When the arrests were made, officers recovered two bank passbooks and two mobile phones believed to have been used in the operation. These items are now part of the evidentiary material as the police continue to examine whether the accused were acting alone or as part of a larger cyber fraud network.
The case highlights the increasingly sophisticated nature of identity-based cybercrimes and the importance of immediate reporting and coordinated investigation by law enforcement agencies.
