Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police have apprehended a 46-year-old woman for her role in a widespread digital arrest scam. The suspect, Krothapalli Rithika, a real estate entrepreneur from Kompally, Hyderabad, is connected to 32 similar fraud cases throughout India, including three in Telangana.
The investigation began when a resident of Hyderabad received a call from someone impersonating a head constable from the Kurla Police Station in Bandra, Mumbai. The caller claimed that a case had been filed against the victim and alleged that an ICICI Bank account had been opened in the victim’s name at the Bandra-Kurla branch, which was being used for illicit transactions.
The victim was then instructed to join a Skype call, where he was pressured into transferring his entire bank balance to a designated account for verification, under the pretense of proving he was not involved in money laundering or other illegal activities. The fraudster promised that the funds would be returned within 24 hours along with a police clearance certificate.
Despite lacking sufficient funds in his account, the victim was convinced to take out a pre-approved loan from ICICI Bank. He subsequently transferred ₹3,57,998 to the fraudster’s account.As a result of the investigation, Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police arrested three individuals from Andhra Pradesh on March 25: Thota Srinivasa Rao, 58, Jeevan Kumar, 38, and T. Raghuveer, 40.
They were placed in judicial custody. Krothapalli Rithika was taken into custody on March 29 and was also remanded. During the operation, the police seized various items, including mobile phones, cheque books from multiple banks, passbooks, cheque leaves, stamps, a QR code scanner, ATM cards, and SIM cards. The fraudsters targeted victims via social media platforms, Telegram, WhatsApp, and internet calls, impersonating officials from organizations like the Telecom Department, TRAI, CBI, CID, and Cyber Crime units.
They falsely accused victims of serious cyber crimes such as money laundering, human trafficking, and terrorism. Under the guise of a digital arrest, the scammers coerced victims into transferring money for inspection, claiming that the Reserve Bank of India and the Supreme Court had sanctioned the process. After the victims sent the funds, the fraudsters severed all communication.
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