GUNTUR: Bapatla police have arrested two cyber criminals involved in transferring over Rs 74 lakh into fraudulent accounts, with two main suspects still at large. The arrests were announced by Bapatla District Superintendent of Police (SP) Tushar Dudi during a press conference on Thursday.
The victim, G Sri Lakshmi Vara Prasad Rao, a retired professor from Chundur, reported the crime after unknown individuals falsely accused him of money laundering and siphoned Rs 74 lakh from his bank account.
Police promptly froze the accounts and launched an investigation. Amid rising cybercrime cases, SP Dudi formed special teams led by IT Core Sub-Inspector (SP) Naib Rasool and Chundur Circle Inspector (CI) Srikanth. The teams traced the suspects to Rajasthan and Mumbai, arresting Ramesh (A3) and Shrawan Kumar (A4), both from Rajasthan, while the primary accused, Akash Kulhari and Sriva Prasad, remain at large.
Investigations revealed the gang was involved in transferring Rs 12.30 crore across multiple fraudulent accounts, with similar cases filed against them in 12 police stations across eight States, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal, Gujarat, Telangana, and Rajasthan. Ramesh and Shrawan are accused of transferring Rs 15 lakh and Rs 35 lakh, respectively, across several cases. Police seized Rs 7 lakh in cash, 24 ATM cards, 11 chequebooks, and froze Rs 17.90 lakh in accounts linked to the suspects. The gang is believed to have defrauded victims of Rs 10 crore in 43 cases across 39 districts in 18 States, as recorded on the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) portal.
The SP warned the public about such cyber scams, clarifying that ‘digital arrests’ do not exist. He urged victims to immediately report cybercrimes by calling 1930. The SP commended the efforts of the IT core team, special squads, and police personnel in cracking the case, emphasising ongoing efforts to apprehend the remaining suspects.