Hyderabad: Fake IPS officer arrested, involved in extortion cases

Hyderabad: Hyderabad police nabbed a notorious interstate pseudo IPS/Colonel, extortionist, and cheating offender under Madhapur police station limits in Hyderabad.

The Madhapur police teams recovered 7.65 country-made pistol, 9 live Rounds and other material worth Rs 2,00,000 at the instance of the accused. Police have also seized IPS emblem, police uniforms, ID cards of Delhi and Telangana police, Army badges, Handcuffs, and mobile phones.

The accused has been identified as 25-year-old Naga Raju Karthik Raghu Varma alias Karthik, native of Chikkala Village of West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh. He completed schooling and Intermediate at his native village, BA degree at SRK Degree College at Bhimavaram in the year 2016, and then came down to Hyderabad.

Naga Raju has a criminal history of involved in seven cases in Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, and Jharkhand for posing as fake officers, kidnapping, and extorting money.

According to the Incharge-DCP T Srinivas Rao, "In 2017, the accused worked as a cab driver at Ghouse Pasha's travels located at Sanathnagar area where he stole a four wheeler Innova. For which a case was registered against him, arrested and was sent to jail for six months. Subsequently, he came out on bail and worked as a Bore Well operator in Maharashtra state for four months".

He again came back to Hyderabad in 2018 and worked as a personal driver to the proprietor named Radha Krishna of Varista Infocom Company at Road No.1, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad for three months, where he took away his owner's Verito car along with his two associates without intimation. He was arrested and was out on bail.

The incidents of posting as fake Army officer began after he joined as Supervisor at Expert Security services at Anjaiah Nagar, Gachibowli, where he met with Bikkudar Das, an Ex Army officer, and working in Expert Security Group. "The accused during the time got all the knowledge about army ranks, dress, batches and other information with regards to Army, besides he came to know about the availability of uniforms in Army. Accordingly, he purchased the PARASF regiment of Major rank uniform," said Srinivas.

Fake defence training centre

He then went back to his villages and told his family members that he was selected as a Major in PARASF regiment, posed himself as Army officer, gathered unemployed youth, and started giving army training to them by establishing Sainik Defence Training Centre illegally.

The local Podur Police, who suspected him as a fake Army officer and, on discreet inquiries with Army officials, arrested him and sent him to jail.

Posed as an Intelligence officer

In 2020, he came back to Hyderabad and hatched a plan to grab the money from a known person who was financially well settled. He and his associates posed themselves as Intelligence Officers, and took away money from many persons.

The accused, in a few cases, threatened people in the name of a police officer and crime branch analytical and snatched huge amount of money.

Modus operandi:

According to Srinivas, "Naga Raju was passionate about becoming a police since college. Earlier, too, he appeared for constable and SI examinations, but he failed to get a job in the police department. Later he was addicted to earning easy money by cheating innocent people."

In this way, the accused hatched a plan to extort money from different places in Hyderabad by introducing him as SOT (Special Operation Team) Officer.

"To execute his plan, he used to wander in bus stops, airports, and public places during the afternoon and late-night hours and commits extortion by threatening innocent people", the police added.

Cases have been booked under Cr.no: 600/2003, U/s 386, 467, 467, 468, 419, 420, 170, 171 IPC &Sec25,27 of Arms act of Madhapur PS, Cyberabad Commissionerate.