Dr. Ajay Kumar Poddar, the West Bengal minister who holds the Public Works Department and Public Health Engineering portfolios, has had his WhatsApp account hacked. The account linked to his mobile number 9434238684 was taken over on Monday, and cybercriminals are now using it to send fake messages to people on his contact list, asking them for money.
How the fraudsters are luring victims
Posing as the minister, the hackers are sending a message that reads, I urgently need some amount. My UPI isn't working. I will return it by morning, can it be done? Once the recipient responds, the fraudsters follow up by demanding Rs 35,000 and send along a QR code, or scanner, to make the payment process quick and easy, hoping victims will transfer the money online without asking too many questions. Because the message originates from the minister's genuine number, several recipients may initially believe it is authentic, which is exactly what makes this scam more dangerous than a fraud attempt from a random unknown number.
Hack came amid a packed schedule
The hacking surfaced while Dr. Ajay Kumar Poddar was occupied in Kolkata with a series of programmes marking the 125th birth anniversary of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, alongside events tied to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to West Bengal. That his phone number was compromised right in the middle of such a busy public schedule has added to the suspicious nature of the breach.
Misuse of the minister's identity fuels unease
The misuse of Dr. Ajay Kumar Poddar's name and phone number has unsettled not just the minister but also his acquaintances and members of the public who have received the fraudulent messages. Many recipients are finding it difficult to judge whether the request for help is genuinely coming from the minister or is the work of a scammer, and that very uncertainty is what the cyber criminals appear to be exploiting.
Son Keshav Poddar's warning
As the matter escalated, the minister's son and BJP leader Keshav Poddar stepped in through social media to clarify the situation. He informed the public that his father's WhatsApp account had been hacked and that is why messages demanding money were being circulated from the number. Keshav Poddar appealed to everyone not to trust any message or demand for money that appears to come from the minister's number, and urged people not to make any payment under any circumstances. He also confirmed that necessary legal action in connection with the matter had already been initiated.
A fresh reminder about cyber safety
The episode has once again underlined how quickly cybercriminal networks can hijack a WhatsApp account, whether it belongs to an ordinary citizen or a sitting minister. Such cases are consistently followed by the advice that any unfamiliar or suspicious message asking for urgent money, particularly one involving UPI payments, should always be verified with a phone call before any transaction is made.
