In a startling case of cyber fraud, Pune Police have arrested Seetaiah Kilaru, a 34-year-old electronics engineer from Telangana, for allegedly cheating a private university of Rs2.46 crore by impersonating a professor from IIT-Bombay.
The accused, who holds a PhD from a UK-based university, allegedly contacted the Pune-based university between July 25 and August 26, posing as a senior professor at IIT-Bombay. He falsely promised the university’s officials that he could help them secure a prestigious project from the reputed institution.
Believing his claims, the university transferred Rs2.46 crore into multiple bank accounts controlled by the accused. When the project never materialized, university officials realized they had been defrauded and lodged a complaint in the first week of September.
A team from the Cyber Crime Police Station in Pune traced the digital trail and arrested Kilaru from Yapral, Hyderabad, on September 21. According to officials, Kilaru is not just academically qualified—with a doctorate and a background in electronics and telecommunication engineering—but also cleared the UPSC prelims and mains in 2019–2020.
“He is the mastermind behind the fraud and used his academic credibility as a tool to build trust and execute the scam,” a police official said.
Kilaru was produced before the court and has been remanded to police custody till September 28 as investigations continue.
