HYDERABAD: Jagadgirigutta police arrested four persons for allegedly abducting a 42-year-old man, posing as police officers and extorting Rs 5.26 lakh from him. Police seized an air pistol, a country-made 7.65 mm pistol, police uniforms, fake ID cards, rank badges, insignia, handcuffs, batons and other items.
The arrested persons were identified as Nagaraju Raghu Varma alias Alluri Vijayaram, Yeswanth Singh, Sathyabhan Singh and Thangellapalli Nagendra Varma. Two others, Pradeep Kumar Mishra and Sunil Kumar alias Fouzi, are absconding. Police said the accused met in prison and continued operating as an organised gang after their release.
Vijayaram is a habitual offender involved in 12 similar cases across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand. He was detained twice under the Preventive Detention Act and is a rowdy-sheeter at Poduru police station.
According to police, the gang intercepted complainant Kavuri Purnachandra Rao near Shobodhaya Colony on May 18 while he was travelling towards Prashanth Nagar. Claiming a criminal case had been registered against him in Haryana, they forced him into a vehicle, confined him and seized his phone, ATM card and cash. The accused allegedly coerced him into revealing banking credentials and arranged a fake video call with a person posing as a Haryana police officer.
The victim was taken to Suryapet, where Rs 1 lakh was withdrawn through ATMs, another Rs 1 lakh transferred via PhonePe and additional amounts siphoned off through online banking, taking the total to Rs 5.26 lakh. The gang later assaulted him, removed his SIM card, handed him a basic mobile phone and abandoned him at an isolated location.
Police said the gang targeted businessmen and other financially well-off individuals, using fake police uniforms and credentials to intimidate victims into transferring money. Investigators also found that the accused used technical networks for surveillance, victim identification and coordination of crimes.