A focused enforcement drive has led to major breakthroughs in multiple cyber fraud cases, exposing organised scam networks operating across several states.
The cybercrime wing of Malkajgiri police arrested 7 individuals linked to 6 cyber fraud cases during a week-long operation conducted between January 18 and January 24. As part of the action, police also processed court-approved refund orders, enabling the return of ₹27.36 lakh to victims.
Investigators said the arrests revealed a pan-India fraud network involved in investment, matrimony, and part-time job scams, with money routed through mule bank accounts and shell entities.
In the first case, police arrested Vattikuti Papaiah in an investment fraud and remanded him to judicial custody. During the probe, 3 more individuals were apprehended in Suryapet for providing mule bank accounts. Victims were targeted through fake trading ads on Telegram and shifted to WhatsApp groups posing as investment experts. They were made to download forged trading and crypto wallet apps showing manipulated profits. When victims tried to withdraw funds, they were asked to pay fake charges, while the money was layered through shell companies.
In the second case, Pendem Vamshi Mandava Nageshwara Rao was arrested for operating mule bank accounts linked to another investment scam. Victims were lured through fake AI-based investment ads impersonating reputed trading platforms. Fabricated profits were shown to push further investments. The total amount cheated was estimated at ₹70.09 lakh.
The third case involved a matrimony-cum-investment scam. Chattu Koteswara Rao was arrested for acting as a mule account holder. The victim was contacted through a fake matrimonial profile and later persuaded via WhatsApp to invest in cryptocurrency through Binance and decentralised platforms, resulting in a loss of ₹59.25 lakh.
In the fourth case, Mohammad Mustafa Arif Malbari was arrested in a part-time job scam after funds were traced to Thane, Maharashtra. Victims were lured through Telegram with fake product-matching jobs, initially receiving small credits before being induced to invest larger amounts. The loss stood at ₹12.90 lakh.
The fifth case led to the arrest of Talari Vidya Sagar in a digital arrest fraud. Victims were threatened by fraudsters posing as telecom and police officials and coerced into transferring money. The total loss was ₹46.74 lakh.
In the sixth case, Thirumani Bharath Kumar was arrested in an online investment scam after funds were traced to Hyderabad. He allegedly acted as a mule account holder for fraudsters using fake investment websites.
Police said further investigation is underway.
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