HYDERABAD: Rachakonda police on Thursday arrested a city-based Visual Effects (VFX) director, who worked on several popular Indian and foreign movies, on charges of cheating Kotagiri Rama Rao, a realtor to the tune of around Rs 1.18 crore.
Asha Kiran Mateti (39), who claims to have worked as a graphics designer for Tollywood’s magnum opus Bahubali, Rudramadevi and around eight other Tollywood films, had trapped Rama Rao claiming that she owned properties worth Rs 1,600 crore in the USA and other countries, said police. Asha Kiran, who also claims to have worked for a few Hollywood films as a graphic designer, has an obsession for iPhones.
Police during her arrest seized two iPhones in addition to gold and silver worth around Rs 23 lakh as well as Rs 2 lakh in cash from her possession, said Rachakonda Commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat. According to police, Asha Kiran hailing from West Godavari district in AP, had completed her Masters in Microbiology from prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bengaluru and moved to the USA for higher studies, where she joined in a PhD program at California State University, but discontinued. During her stay in the USA, she learnt graphic designing and animation and worked in a few Hollywood films also, before moving to Dubai, where she reportedly worked for a famous studio.
She later moved back to India and married for second time after her first husband died due to ill health. But due to several disputes, she lodged a case against her husband and also moved the court for conjugal rights.
Police, meanwhile, informed that she also was arrested back in 2013 by Mahankali police in Hyderabad for an online fraud. She allegedly conspired with a group of Nigerians to loot a man. She was also arrested recently by Chaitanyapuri police for cheating a neighbour, by mortgaging the latter’s gold ornaments for personal use.