What began as routine online interactions soon turned into fear-driven extortion for several unsuspecting victims. Police have now uncovered a pattern of deception that spanned multiple states and dozens of fraud cases.
The SR Nagar police on Wednesday arrested a habitual cybercrime offender who allegedly cheated several people by impersonating a cybercrime police officer and extorting money through threats and intimidation.
The accused, J Sai Ram Reddy, aged 27, is a bike-taxi rider from Karimnagar. Police said he was involved in at least 44 cyber fraud cases reported across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
According to investigators, the accused created fake female profiles on social media platforms to befriend victims, most of whom were men. After gaining their trust, he allegedly contacted them while posing as a cybercrime official. He then threatened them with fabricated cases linked to obscene online activity and demanded money as a fine through digital payment platforms.
Victims were reportedly pressured into complying by fear of legal trouble. In several cases, they were also instructed to reset their mobile phones to erase call records and messages, making it harder to trace the fraud.
In the most recent incident, a student was cheated of nearly Rs 97,000 through multiple digital transactions. Following a complaint filed on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, police tracked the accused and arrested him.
During questioning, police said the accused admitted to carrying out similar scams using multiple SIM cards, mobile phones, and bank accounts. Some of the bank accounts reportedly belonged to unsuspecting shopkeepers, which were misused to route the stolen funds.
Police officials said the arrest highlights the growing sophistication of cybercrime methods that rely on impersonation, social engineering, and digital payments to exploit fear and trust.
Further investigation is underway to identify additional victims and trace the money trail linked to the fraud cases.
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