Palakkad (Kerala), March 7 Kongad CPI(M) MLA K Shantakumari revealed on Saturday that she was one of the latest targets of an alleged cyber fraud gang, which contacted her claiming that an accused in the Pahalgam bomb blast case had used a SIM card and a bank account in her name.
She said that she initially received a call on Friday morning from someone claiming to be from the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), and she was told that a SIM card in her name was being used by one of the accused in the Pahalgam bomb blast case.
"The person said that a case had been registered against me in March 2025. I told him that I am an MLA from the ruling party in Kerala, after which he said that someone from the Thiruvananthapuram cyber cell would call me," she told reporters here.
Subsequently, a person claiming to be an officer in the cyber cell headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram called her and spoke to her in "North Indian Malayalam," and asked whether she had gone to Mumbai or Kashmir in the past.
After speaking to her for a few minutes, he asked her to call another number, which turned out to be that of another alleged ATS officer, she said.
The MLA said that the ATS officer spoke to her in English and told her that, in normal circumstances, she would have to appear in person for recording her statement.
"He then asked me to save the number on WhatsApp, and soon I received a video call from him. Until now, I had not told my family what was happening, as I was curious to find out what was going on and whether it would affect my party," she said.
"I took the video call in my office room at home, and I was told that my statement would be recorded, and they also asked for my Aadhaar number," she said.
While she was on the video call, her husband and son came there, and upon seeing them, the alleged ATS officer asked them to sit with her.
"My son said that it appeared to be an AI image of the officer, and he angrily questioned that person as to who he was and to show his identity. Meanwhile, my driver informed the local police. But, I did not know about it at that moment," she said.
Shantakumari also said that during the nearly two-hour-long conversation with those persons, she learned that a bank account existed in her name in Mumbai, and it was being used to collect funds for the bomb blast by the accused.
She said that when she gave her Aadhaar number to them on the video call, she was told that they would verify her involvement in the case.
The MLA said that she did feel panicked when she was told that the accused linked to Pakistan were using a number in her name, as the assembly elections were approaching.
"I was told that as an MLA, such a case would affect my future, as I would need a certificate from them stating that I was not involved in the elections," she said.
Subsequently, she ended the call as suggested by her son, she said, adding that the alleged ATS officer called her back several times via video call, but she did not attend them.
"Then he sent a message to either take the call or they would take action," she said.
Soon thereafter, the police arrived and recorded her statement regarding the incident, she said.
The MLA also said that she had filed a complaint with the cyber cell.
"I have been told that the matter will be investigated seriously," Shantakumari said.