In a major breakthrough in the ongoing investigation into the Rs 8.71 lakh Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) cheque fraud, the Jubilee Hills police arrested seven more individuals on Thursday, September 18.
The latest accused have been identified as:
Potla Ravi (46)
Janagama Nagaraju (40)
Mateti Bhasker (33)
Dharmaram Raju (50)
Kampalli Santhosh (35)
Chityala Laxmi (65)
Asampelli Laxmi
All hail from Godavarikhani village in Pedapally district.
According to police reports, these individuals acted as fake beneficiaries, deposited forged CMRF cheques into their personal bank accounts, and subsequently withdrew the funds. Their actions have allegedly cheated the government and deprived genuine victims of rightful financial aid.
A case has been registered under the following sections:
IPC Sections: 409 (Criminal breach of trust), 417 (Cheating), 419 (Impersonation), 467 (Forgery), 120(B) (Criminal conspiracy)
IT Act: Section 66(C) – identity theft
The prime accused, Jogula Naresh Kumar (42), allegedly exploited his position while working in a minister’s office. He unlawfully accessed and misused 230 sanctioned but undistributed CMRF cheques, identifying 19 that had not been followed up.
He reportedly deposited them at the SBI Branch, Jubilee Hills Road No. 5, using forged documents and beneficiary details.
On July 15, four others were arrested in the same case:
Balagoni Venkatesh (37)
Korlapati Vamshi (24)
Pulipaka Omkar (34)
They were remanded to judicial custody.
Police say more accused have been identified and are currently absconding. Search operations are ongoing to apprehend the remaining culprits and recover misappropriated funds.
