Vijayawada: The Chirala II town police on Friday arrested three cyber fraudsters in connection with a fake digital arrest scam, cheating a victim of Rs 26.5 lakh. The arrested individuals have been identified as Gandiboyina Neel Kumar (29), Nagala Pradeep Kumar alias Arjuna Rao (24), and Bondalapu Govind (36), all natives of Visakhapatnam. The police recovered Rs 10 lakh in cash and seized two laptops, six mobile phones, three SIM cards, passports, a memory card, and a pen drive.
Modus Operandi
According to Chirala DSP MD Moin, the accused impersonated police officials and contacted the victim, K Mohan Rao, a resident of Kothapeta village, through social media. They falsely claimed that a money laundering case had been registered against him and threatened him with legal action. Under the pretext of helping him escape the alleged case, they fraudulently collected Rs 26.5 lakh from the victim.
Investigation and Recovery
Following a complaint lodged on March 30, the police registered a case under relevant sections of the BNS and the IT Act and launched an investigation. During the probe, the police found that the defrauded money had been routed through three bank accounts before being transferred to various other accounts. The arrested individuals are currently in custody and further interrogation is underway to uncover the full extent of the scam.
The police have urged citizens to be cautious of such fraudulent calls and to verify the authenticity of any official communication. They advised the public not to share personal or financial information with unknown callers and to report any suspicious activity to the nearest police station.
