Cops bust 10-member fake begging gang in Malakpet; fake IDs, collection boxes seized

Hyderabad: One begging mafia with a gang of 10 members was nabbed by the Commissioner’s Task Force, South-East Zone Team, Hyderabad along with Malakpet Police. Based on credible information, the police teams apprehended the gang at Moosarambagh X Roads in Malakpet.

The gang has been cheating the public by begging for money in the name of a charity titled “Amma Cheyutha Foundation.” They would use the alms for their daily needs and also lead lavish lifestyles, said police.

The accused were identified as Kethavath Ravi (collection agent), Kethavath Mangu (collection agent), Gaddi Ganesh (founder and organizer of Amma Cheyutha Foundation), and seven more beggars.

The police seized a total of Rs 1,38,262 cash, including 12 collection boxes, containing Rs 13,474, two passenger autos, different coins of Indian currency worth of Rs 2,788, three cell phones, sale deed documents of open plots in Nadargul, Badangpet and Turkayamjal, seven white coats, five ID cards of Amma Cheyutha Foundation, its visiting cards and notebooks.

Modus Operandi

According to Ch Rupesh, the deputy commissioner of police (L&O), South-East Zone, Hyderabad, the main accused, Kethavath Ravi and Kethavath Mangu, are brothers. In 2020, they approached Gaddi Ganesh, whose foundation was behind Kamineni Hospital, Mansurabad, LB Nagar.

Together they hatched a plan to beg money in the name of charity claiming to collect money for disabled persons. The accused told the police that Gaddi Ganesh would give them collection boxes, ID cards and visiting cards with the foundation’s name on them and instructed them to beg money for charity.

As per his instructions, Kethavath Ravi and Mangu hired unemployed women, students and homemakers on a percentage basis. Every evening, the hired persons would beg at busy traffic junctions of twin cities with collection boxes, ID cards and visiting cards.

After 9 pm, they would come back home and count the money. Around 35 per cent of the collected amount was given to each woman. A QR code, linked to their bank accounts is pasted on the collection boxes, with the intention to cheat the common public. Both brothers purchased open plots at Nadargul, Badangpet and Turkayamjal with the collections.

Hyderabad Commissioner CV Anand also posted on Twitter addressing on the increasing reports from citizens about the harassment they face at almost all traffic junctions in the Hyderabad, neighbouring commissionerates from so called Beggars.

He opined that most of them seem young, able bodied , fit and from outside the state - clearly indicating that this is some sort of an organised mafia crime.