Scammer posing as MP governor sought cash transfer, two BJP MLAs tell police

Sagar (MP): Two MLAs of the BJP from Madhya Pradesh complained to the police on Monday that a caller claiming to be the state’s governor no less asked them individually to transfer Rs 7 lakh each to a bank account.

MLAs Pradeep Laria and Mahesh Rai, who hail from Sagar district, represent Naryaoli and Bina assembly constituencies. The mobile number from which they had received separate calls was found to be registered in Odisha, a police officer said.

Laria claimed that he received a phone call from unknown number at around 11 am on Monday.

“The caller claimed to be the governor of Madhya Pradesh and asked me to transfer Rs 7 lakh in a bank account. The caller also asked for the mobile number of MLA Mahesh Rai,” Laria told PTI.

Rai told reporters that he also received a similar call asking him to deposit Rs 7 lakh in a bank account, and that he immediately alerted the OSD to the governor.

Superintendent of Police Amit Sanghi said he was informed by Laria about the phone call. Rai has also submitted a complaint to Bina Police station, he said.

“The cyber cell of the state police has launched a probe. As per preliminary investigation, the phone number is found to be registered in Odisha,” the SP added.