A major cyber fraud case has come to light after the Cyber Crime Unit in Hyderabad detained three individuals accused of cheating a seventy one year old man of more than one crore ninety two lakh rupees. The scam took place between November seven and November fourteen, during which the victim was manipulated into believing he was involved in a fabricated criminal case.
According to an cyber officer from the unit, the fraudsters falsely claimed that the victim’s Aadhaar number had been misused in financial crimes. They threatened him with immediate arrest and convinced him to transfer money to several bank accounts. The officer said the scammers even displayed forged documents and a fake ATM card to pressure him into complying.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Pandu Vinith Raj, aged twenty four, Thirupathaiah, aged forty, and Gouni Vishwanatham, aged forty six. Officials said, “Vinith Raj acted as an account supplier, while Thirupathaiah and Vishwanatham jointly operated one of the accounts used to collect the victim’s deposits.” Another accused, Sandeep also known as Alex, is still on the run.
Investigators said the victim, Chaganti Hanumantha Rao, received a phone call from individuals posing as officials from a central agency. They falsely accused him of financial crimes and warned him that his bank accounts would be frozen. The scammers later shifted to video calls and showed him a fake identity card and a doctored first information report from Delhi. They instructed him to stay isolated while transferring the money.
Cyber police officials revealed that this group has links to five similar cases across the country, including two in Telangana. During the operation, officers seized four mobile phones. Inspector K Satish Reddy and his team, including Sub Inspector Srikanth, traced the flow of money and identified the accounts involved before arresting the suspects in Hyderabad and Mahbubnagar.
The Cyber Crime Unit warned that digital arrest scams continue to be a common form of intimidation based fraud, often targeting elderly citizens. They reminded the public that no law enforcement agency demands fines or security deposits through calls or video chats. Citizens were urged to avoid sharing personal details and to report suspicious calls by dialling 1930 or by visiting the National Cyber crime Portal.
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