How Hyd gang inspired by Netflix's Money Heist kidnapped people for ransom

Hyderabad: The city police arrested four members of a gang that was involved in kidnappings inspired by the Netflix series 'Money Heist'.

The four have been identified as Gunjapogu Suresh (27), M. Rohit (18), Induri Jagadish (25), and K. Kunal (19). Another accused, Swetha Chary, is absconding.

On 6 February, the Asifnagar police station received a complaint from J. Ushanamma in which she stated that her younger son, Prashanth, who sells flowers at the Gudimalkapur flower market, had been kidnapped.

On the afternoon of 5 February, Prashanth went out and did not return till evening. Ushanamma called his phone but it was switched off. She searched the surrounding area but could not find him.

The next day, around 3:30 p.m, Prashanth's brother Anjaneyulu received a WhatsApp call from Prashanth's phone number. The caller threatened him and demanded money for releasing his brother.

Reel to real

According to the police, the accused Suresh was inspired after watching the Netflix series 'Money Heist' where the main character, Professor, recruits people to commit several crimes. Similarly, Suresh recruited a few persons, including women, to kidnap people.

As per his plan, he purchased a second-hand SUV in August 2021. Initially, he targeted people in his friend circle. He hired women to send voice messages and text messages on WhatsApp and Instagram to the victims. Later, he asked the victim to meet at a convenient place and then kidnapped them.

He then used the victim's mobile phone to call his family and demand money. He only called them on WhatsApp to avoid the police tracking them. After collecting money from the victim's family, he threatened the victim and let them go.

As the victims had been trapped or lured by women, they usually did not complain to the police. Taking advantage, the accused continued the same modus operandi.