Acting under the directions of Nandyal District Superintendent of Police Suneel Sheoran, Kovelakuntla Police arrested two men involved in a cybercrime blackmail operation. The arrests were supervised by Allagadda DSP K Pramod, with Kovelakuntla Circle Inspector P Hanumantha Nayak leading the investigation.
The accused allegedly impersonated police officers and others to extort money from unsuspecting victims using digital payment platforms such as PhonePe and bank accounts.
The arrested individuals were identified as Akkapalli Chandrashekar alias A Chandrashekar (32) and Dasari Sandeep Kumar (27), both from Hanwada village, Mahabubnagar district, Telangana. Police said the duo operated from Telangana while targeting victims in Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring states.
On January 28, Chandrashekar reportedly called Karnati Pratap Reddy, a resident of Kovelakuntla, posing as a Sub-Inspector from Gadwal, Telangana. He falsely claimed the complainant had sent messages to a conductor’s wife, allegedly causing her to attempt suicide, and demanded Rs 4 lakh to “settle” the matter. Subsequently, Sandeep Kumar posed as the conductor and tricked the complainant into transferring Rs 30,000 via PhonePe, prompting a cybercrime case at Kovelakuntla Police Station.
During the investigation, authorities discovered the duo had cheated multiple victims over two months, extorting nearly Rs 15 lakh by threatening them with false criminal cases, including Section 51-like charges. Victims were identified through comments and chats on the Threads app, after which they were blackmailed.
Police confirmed that the arrests mark a major breakthrough in dismantling the cross-state cybercrime network.
