Bhadradri Kothagudem police have arrested 13 individuals for assisting cybercriminals by opening and using bank accounts to receive and transfer illicit funds. The arrests followed a tip-off from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) and a joint operation involving the district cyber security bureau, Tekulapally police, and the cybercrime unit.
According to Bhadradri Kothagudem SP B Rohit Raju, 27-year-old Boda Sridhar, operator of a MeeSeva centre in Tekulapally, connected with cybercriminals via Telegram. Along with 12 local youths, he opened nearly 60 current bank accounts using forged documents. These accounts were used to funnel money, earning the accused a commission for each transaction.
Investigations showed that over the past six months, transactions totaling Rs8.5 crore passed through these accounts. Police seized 12 mobile phones and a bank passbook during the operation. So far, 108 complaints have been registered nationally against these bank accounts.
All accused were apprehended from the government junior college premises in Tekulapally. Cyber Crime CI S Jitender explained that the cybercriminals deposited money into these accounts, which the accused then transferred to other specified accounts in exchange for commissions.
The arrested individuals are:
Boda Sridhar (27), Boda Rajanna (22), Jatoth Naresh (24), Bhukya Praveen (24), Maloth Praveen (24), Boda Jampanna (25), Boda Rajesh (25), Tejavath Naresh (25), Bhukya Veeranna (26), Banoth Jagadeesh (27), Polepongu Pavan Kalyan (27), Boda Rajaram (27), and Urimalla Bharath Krishna (27).
Police continue their investigation to determine how the suspects opened multiple accounts and the full scope of the fraud.
