Sullurpeta Police bust Rs 1 crore fake currency racket, four held
NELLORE: Sullurpeta police have cracked a Rs 1 crore fake currency fraud involving a high-return scam, arresting four accused and recovering Rs 73.2 lakh in cash, two four-wheelers, and counterfeit Rs 2,000 notes used in the crime.
Tirupati district Superintendent of Police (SP) V Harshavardhan Raju said the scam was orchestrated by an individual identifying himself as Chinnaswami, who contacted intermediaries via WhatsApp and promised to legally exchange Rs 1 crore in 500 notes for Rs 2 crore in 2,000 notes. Jagadeesh, the victim, fell for the offer and agreed to the deal.
On May 7, Jagadeesh and his associates arrived at a highway location near Sullurpeta with Rs 1 crore in cash. The accused reached the spot in two cars. One of them, pretending to be Chinnaswami’s personal assistant, collected the money and sent two of Jagadeesh’s companions to a nearby room to collect the promised Rs 2 crore. As they were being misled, the accused fled in one of the vehicles with the entire amount. Jagadeesh tried to stop the vehicle but was pushed aside.
Naidupeta DSP G Chenchu Babu led a special team comprising Circle Inspector M Muralikrishna (Sullurpeta), Sub-Inspectors V Brahma Naidu (Sullurpeta), Ajay Babu (DV Satram), K Kondapanaidu (Tada), ASI Kumar Reddy, and constables Chiranjeevi, Suresh, and Suhail Babu. On June 25, the police arrested four of the accused near Bhudanam Toll Plaza and in Tirupati.
The arrested were identified as Ambati Santosh alias Chinna Swami Peddayana (37) from Srikakulam district, Bam Ravi Teja Ravi Manikanta (39) from Ganjam district in Odisha, K Hemakar Rao from Tirupati, and Mamidi Uma Mahesh alias Uma (28) from Kancharapalem, Visakhapatnam. Another accused, Donthireddy Haribabu Reddy from Yazali in Bapatla district, is absconding.