A couple posing as IAS officers have been arrested for deceiving multiple individuals with false promises of jobs and housing under government schemes.
The accused, V Bhagyarekha alias Amrita and her husband M Chandra Sekhar, were booked by MVP police for impersonating senior government officials and cheating citizens by offering TIDCO housing allotments and government jobs.
According to police, the duo showed fake ID cards claiming to be officials in the Human Rights Commission and GVMC (Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation), collecting over Rs1.8 lakh from victims in various instances. They were remanded to 15 days in judicial custody and sent to Visakhapatnam Central Prison.
In one instance, the couple received Rs80,000 via digital payment, promising to allot a TIDCO house. When the victim followed up, they delayed and threatened to file false police cases. Another victim in December 2024 transferred Rs1 lakh for a similar fake housing offer.
The couple even defrauded a clothing retailer by taking apparel worth Rs1 lakh without payment and forcibly occupied a house without consent, later threatening the owner when asked to vacate.
The City Police Commissioner, Shankhabrata Bagchi, ordered the formation of special teams to apprehend the suspects. Additional complaints have surfaced in Kancharapalem, Manyam, and Vizianagaram, with more victims stepping forward after the arrests.
The police urge all victims to file formal complaints in their local stations to aid further investigation.
