VIJAYAWADA: In what seemed like a scene straight out of Telugu film ‘Gang’, Suryaraopet police arrested a 29-year-old youth on Monday who reportedly impersonated as an Income Tax department inspector and extorted money from traders.
Based on a complaint lodged by the joint commissioner (I-T, Range-1), Suryaraopet police registered a case and arrested the accused Tirumala Reddy, who hails from Guntur city.
South zone assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Dr B Ravi Kiran said the accused Chadalavada Thirumala Reddy is a 10th pass-out and used to work in a gold jewellery shop in Guntur.
While working in the shop, he learnt about the auditing process and working style of the income tax department officials. The shop owner once faced huge financial loss and had to shut down the venture. Reddy then took up odd jobs to make his ends meet.
“Reddy’s father asked him to leave the home when he learnt about his vices. Reddy then, rented a room near Guntur bus stand and started conspiring to earn easy money to fulfill his needs. It was at this point when he, taking advantage of the fear of the income tax department on traders, compiled contact numbers of a few traders and called them, claiming to be an income tax department inspector. He threatened traders of raids and extorted money in return.
After several such incidents, a trader, on suspicion, lodged a complaint with the income tax department (Zone 1), stating that he has been receiving threat calls from a man calling himself as an I-T inspector.
On learning about it, the joint commissioner lodged a complaint with Suryaraopet police. “We tracked the crime patterns and the location of the accused and subsequently nabbed him. A case has been booked under the charges of cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property. We have also seized Rs10,000 cash, mobile phone and identity cards from him,” said the assistant commissioner of police.
MODUS OPERANDI OF THE ACCUSED
In order to make easy money, the accused conspired of taking advantage of the fear of the traders. The accused compiled contact numbers of a few traders. He went on to threaten the traders of raids and in return extorted money from them.