Andhra Pradesh Police have arrested 13 people connected to a major cybercrime involving the siphoning of Rs78 lakh, officials said on Thursday. The gang, linked to Cambodia-based operations, targeted Indian citizens through a “digital arrest” scam.
According to West Godavari District Superintendent of Police Adnan Nayeem Asmi, the scam victim was a 75-year-old retired professor. On October 27, 2025, the professor received a call from a man claiming to be a senior CBI official, who alleged that illegal transactions had been made through a SIM card registered in the professor’s name. Over 13 days, the accused threatened the victim and extracted bank account details, eventually extorting Rs78.60 lakh.
Police arrested the gang members near Gannavaram and Vijayawada, recovering Rs42 lakh in cash and freezing nearly Rs20 lakh across multiple bank accounts. The case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.
Investigations revealed that the mastermind, Rahate J Nayan, a Mumbai resident, is absconding and has been operating from Cambodia for the past five years. The accused obtained Indian bank accounts on commission and sent account details to foreign handlers. Seven of the arrested individuals had previously worked in Cambodia and were involved in extortion in India alongside others.
The accused include:
Puttagumpul Srinivasa Chowdhury – Bengaluru
Gadrathi Chinni Blandina and Gadrathi Srikanth – Visakhapatnam
Pilli Vamsi Prasad, Tammineni Sunil Kumar, Mamidi Venkata Rohini Kumar, Koragayala Eeshwar, Kommineni Ajay – Visakhapatnam
Tallari Jayachandra Kumar, Manka Mutkavema Narayana, Mulakala Rajesh, Peddanna Manjunath Reddy, Pankala Hanumanth Reddy – Sri Sathyasai district
Police confirmed that the gang extorted victims by falsely claiming “digital arrests” and siphoned funds into foreign accounts, highlighting a growing trend of international cybercrime targeting India.
