Cyberabad police bust digital arrest scam; 3 held for duping techie

Hyderabad: The Cyberabad Cyber Crime Police arrested three accused involved in the FedEx scam amounting to Rs 1 lakh.

A 24-year-old software engineer reported receiving a fake call claiming his Aadhaar ID was linked to illegal activities. The caller threatened that his bank accounts would be frozen unless he followed their instructions.

Fearing these threats, the victim shared personal details and made multiple transfers, totalling Rs 9,99,998.

The scammers impersonated police officers to convince him that his accounts were in danger. They even persuaded him to apply for a loan and transfer the amount to their bank accounts.

The accused have been identified as Bhukya Surendar, Pilli Saikumar and Yasareni Yadagiri.

Modus operandi

The Cyber Crime team traced the stolen money to several bank accounts linked to the fraudsters. One of the accused, Yasareni Yadagiri, a loan recovery agent from Siddipet, shared his account details to earn extra cash.

Two others, Pilli Saikumar and Bhukya Surendar, played key roles by assisting in account setup and money transfers. The scammers used fake identities and apps like Telegram to impersonate police officers, tricking the victim into sharing personal bank details and transferring large sums of money to avoid ‘legal trouble.’

Yadagiri was introduced to the scheme by Pilli Saikumar, who encouraged him to rent out bank accounts for illicit transfers. Bhukya Surendar and other accomplices are still at large.

Public advisory

Citizens are advised to never share personal details or transfer money based on unsolicited calls, especially if threatened with arrest. Law enforcement will never call to demand money, threaten, or place anyone under a ‘FedEx/digital arrest.’ If you receive a suspicious call, inform your loved ones to prevent scammers from isolating you.

Report cybercrimes on 1930 helpline or cybercrime website