Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police have arrested three individuals involved in a large-scale digital arrest fraud, in which the perpetrators posed as police officers to dupe victims. The accused were reportedly linked to 14 cases across India.
The arrested individuals are Thota Srinivasa Rao (59), an account holder, and account suppliers Lam Jeevan Kumar (38) and Tammishetty Raghuveer (40), all residents of Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. Their criminal activities spanned multiple states, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Goa, Odisha, and Telangana.
Police seized mobile phones, bank cheque books, passbooks, credit and debit cards, and PAN cards during the operation.
In one case from November 2024, victim Veeraboina Sai Raj of Hyderabad received a call claiming to be from Kurla Police Station in Mumbai. The caller falsely claimed that an illegal transaction of Rs 25 lakh had occurred in the complainant’s name and asked him to transfer funds for verification. Following instructions given via a Skype video call, the victim transferred Rs 1,99,998 and Rs 1,58,000, totaling Rs 3,57,998, which was lost to the fraudsters.
Authorities warned the public to remain vigilant against cybercrimes. Key safety tips include avoiding calls from unknown numbers, not responding to threatening video calls claiming to be from government agencies such as CBI, RBI, ED, Customs, Narcotics, or telecom authorities, and staying calm during such communications.
