Ex-NTPC staffer poses as finance official, dupes MLAs/MPs; held

Hyderabad: The sleuths of the Cyber Crime Police station in Hyderabad arrested a person accused of cheating public representatives by impersonating the additional secretary of the Finance Department. Under the guise, the accused cheated people of Rs 3,60,000.

The accused has been identified as Thota Balaji Naidu (50) alias Malla Reddy alias Dasari Anil Kumar Incriminating material was seized from the possession of the accused.

Case details

On May 15, the police received a complaint from the personal secretary of an MLA in which he stated that a person contacted the MLA over the phone and introduced himself as additional secretary of the Finance Department. He said that a new government loan scheme is being launched by the chief minister which requires the participation of 100 members and a contribution of Rs 3,600 each, totalling Rs 3,60,000.

Believing the same, the victim transferred the amount of Rs 3,60,000 to the ‘mule’ bank accounts given by the accused. After receiving the amount, the accused avoided his calls, prompting the person to complain.

Modus Operandi

Thota Balaji Naidu is a former AE in NTPC, Ramagundam and a resident of Tenali, Guntur district. In February 2009 he was caught by the CBI while taking a bribe from the PA of an MLA. He was sent to Karimnagar jail for remand. Later NTPC suspended him. However, some days later he was given orders to rejoin work in the Visakha Parawada Simhadri Power plant. After removal from service in 2009, he committed fraud.

During the investigation, the police said they came to know that Thota Balaji Naidu collects phone numbers of MLAs and MPs from the website myneta.com and contacts them as an additional secretary of the Finance department, claiming that there is a new scheme from the government. Believing it to be genuine the public representatives would transfer the amounts to the bank accounts given by the accused.

Once he receives the amount, he will switch off the mobile and avoid their calls. On further interrogation, it came to know that the accused person is a habitual offender and has been involved in 37 cases in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states cheating several MLA/MPs with a similar modus operandi.