Hyderabad: Telangana Police have apprehended five individuals hailing from Kerala for allegedly being involved duping a man from Jagtial district of Rs 4.23 crore.
The victim, Basetti Sankaraiah, received a call from a woman posing as Sarika Varma from Mumbai, falsely claiming his Aadhaar card’s involvement in a money laundering case. Under the guise of resolving the fake charges, Sankaraiah was manipulated into transferring Rs 3.23 crore into 200 bank accounts, with promises of reimbursement upon the conclusion of an ‘investigation’.
As the scam progressed, Sankaraiah was coerced into transferring an additional Rs one crore, increasing his total losses to Rs 4.23 crore. The fraudsters exploited the victim’s trust to the extent that they even convinced him to sell his 20-year-old shares and send the proceeds to them.
However, growing suspicions, Sankaraiah halted the communication with the fraudsters and reported the matter to the authorities on November 27, 2023.
The police formed a special team led by DSP Rangareddy, which traced part of the stolen funds to an account associated with Skyline Travels in Kerala.
Further inquiry revealed that Shaukat Ali, one of the account holders, had been duped into the scam by an individual named Sanjay through the Telegram app.
Similar methods were used to manipulate other individuals and businesses across different states, including Arunachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
