
CHENNAI: The North Zone Cyber Crime Police in Chennai arrested two men from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in connection with an alleged scam in which a Sowcarpet-based businessman lost Rs 22.6 lakh. The arrests were made after a month-long probe into a cross-border cyber fraud involving bogus veterinary drug deals.
One of the accused, Ajmeera Sudhakar (31), was arrested on May 11 in Mallaram of Warangal district. Based on his confession, P Yaragorla Srinu alias Akhil (32) was nabbed the next day from Upparapallem in Bapatla district. Police seized two mobile phones used by the accused.
The duo had opened multiple bank accounts to route fraudulent funds and had withdrawn over Rs 20 lakh from banks in Navi Mumbai and Chembur through cheques and ATMs. They are also allegedly linked to other cybercrime cases in Maharashtra, Delhi, UP and Uttarakhand. Police said Yaragorla Srinu received commissions of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh per transaction for allowing fraudsters to use his bank accounts.
Police said the complainant, P Suresh Kumar, runs a private firm on Narayana Mudali Street. On February 29, he was contacted by a man named Henry Mensah via WhatsApp, who allegedly claimed to run Galaxy Veterinary Company Limited in West Africa.
Mensah proposed appointing Kumar as the Indian agent for a veterinary drug, promising to buy it back at a higher price.
The accused earned Kumar’s confidence over a period of time after making multiple calls and then told him to source the drug from two Delhi-based firms.
The accused also gave Kumar ‘bank account details’ of the two firms and asked him to make a cash transfer. The victim transferred Rs 22.6 lakh over nine transactions but received only 8 litres of the ‘drug’ in the place of the 30 he had ordered.
When the drug turned out to be fake, Kumar tried to contact Mensah and his associate. However, they were incommunicado. Police said no cash was seized. A search is on to nab others involved in the scam.
(To report cyber crimes, dial 1930)