Kozhikode (Kerala) | Cyber police have arrested two Delhi residents in connection with an alleged attempt to dupe some Kerala MPs and an MLA by promising them ministerial berths in the state cabinet in return for Rs 3 crore.

The two accused, Nitin and Gaurav, were brought to Kozhikode from New Delhi on a transit remand on Sunday morning, an officer of the Kozhikode cyber police station said.

Kozhikode City Police Commissioner A P Shoukkathali told reporters on Sunday evening that the duo were arrested from the Ghazipur area of the national capital with the assistance of the Delhi Police.

He said the arrests were made following coordinated efforts by the cyber wing team and Deputy Commissioner of Police Padam Singh in Delhi.

Shoukkathali said the team scientifically analysed data related to the phone number, WhatsApp account and mobile phone used to contact the complainant MLA.

Based on the digital evidence gathered, the accused were identified and apprehended with the assistance of the Delhi Police.

The investigation revealed that the main accused, Gaurav, was allegedly involved in similar cases registered in other states and had earlier spent some time in jail in Nashik, Maharashtra, the officer said.

In the Maharashtra case, the accused allegedly claimed they were calling from the Prime Minister's Office, he said.

The officer said the two were well educated and tech-savvy, with one of them claiming to be a law graduate.

In the present case, they were arrested following a complaint by Elathur MLA K Vidya Balakrishnan, who alleged that a person posing as the private secretary to Wayanad Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had called her and offered her a ministerial berth in exchange for Rs 3 crore, police said.

Similar calls were allegedly made to Kerala MPs Shafi Parambil and Dean Kuriakose, police said.

A complaint in this regard was also lodged by D S Rajkumar, private secretary to Vadra, with the state police chief and the Wayanad Superintendent of Police, following which another FIR was registered.

Shoukkathali said the two were also behind the calls made to Parambil and Kuriakose.

He added that a police team from Wayanad had travelled to Delhi as part of the investigation.

Rajkumar, in his complaint, alleged that the accused had misused his identity and the name of the MP's office in an attempt to cheat the public representatives by demanding money from them.

According to police, Balakrishnan received a WhatsApp call at around 2 pm on July 6 from a person who introduced himself as Rajkumar from Vadra's office in New Delhi.

The caller allegedly claimed that a cabinet reshuffle was likely in Kerala and that she could be made a minister if she paid Rs 3 crore.

Police said the conversation, which was in English, lasted about 10 minutes. Balakrishnan grew suspicious of the caller's claims during the conversation.

The caller allegedly told her that she had been recommended by another MP from Kozhikode.

After the call, Balakrishnan contacted the MP, who told her that a person claiming to be from the AICC office had sought the contact details of her and another MLA, police said.

She later contacted Vadra's office and confirmed that the call was part of an impersonation attempt.