Hyderabad police on Sunday arrested two more individuals in connection with a criminal conspiracy involving the misappropriation of Rs 8.71 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF). The latest arrests are Pagadala Srinivasa Rao (23) and Yasa Venkateshwarulu (50), both identified as fake beneficiaries.
With this, the total number of arrests in the CMRF scam has risen to 13.
According to police, the accused fraudulently deposited sanctioned CMRF cheques into their personal accounts and withdrew the funds. In a coordinated criminal conspiracy, they misappropriated the relief funds, cheating the government and depriving genuine beneficiaries.
The arrested individuals voluntarily admitted their involvement in the offences. All hail from Khammam district and were produced before court for judicial remand.
Earlier, on September 19, police had arrested seven other fake beneficiaries, including two women from Godavarikhani in Pedapally district, who posed as genuine applicants to defraud the government.
The arrests are linked to five cases registered since last year. The accused have been booked under Sections 409, 417, 419, 467, and 120(B) of the IPC and Section 66(C) of the IT Act.
In July, four additional accused—Jogula Naresh Kumar (42), Balagoni Venkatesh (37), Korlapati Vamshi (24), and Pulipaka Omkar (34)—were arrested for conspiring and misappropriating CMRF funds. Investigations revealed that after the 2023 Assembly elections, Naresh Kumar, who had worked in a minister’s office, took possession of 230 undistributed cheques.
Of these, 19 cheques issued to applicants who had not followed up were deposited into forged bank accounts at the SBI branch on Road No. 5, Jubilee Hills, using falsified details. Police continue to probe the case to trace other beneficiaries affected and recover misappropriated funds.
