Kothakota cops bust gang cheating in name of government schemes; 8 held

Hyderabad: A gang of eight members were arrested for cheating people in the name of providing loans through a government scheme.

The operation was conducted by the cyber security bureau of Wanaparthy and Kothakota Police who exposed the gang involved in a large-scale loan fraud.

The accused have been identified as:

A1 Varthiyavath Narsingh (financier)

A2 Rathlavath Ramesh

A3 Pothulapally Kurumurthy, (Swiggy delivery agent)

A4 Eslavath Ramulu (mason)

A5 Kothapally Umesh (private employee)

A6 Boya Veeresh (private employee)

A7 Eslavath Suraj (cricket player)

A8 Varthiyavath Praveen (student)

Victim applies for loan at Mee Seva, gets message from fraudsters

The fraud came to light on January 21 after one of the victims from the Kothakota town approached the police.

He said he had applied for the loan of Rs one lakh through the Prime Minister Vishwakarma Yojana at a Mee Seva centre in Kothakota. On July 11, he received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number, asking him to pay a fee through PhonePe/Google Pay for the sanction of the PM Vishwakarma loan. Believing it to be a legitimate account, the victim transferred Rs 3,750 via Google Pay and Rs 8,500 via PhonePe.

He was asked to pay an additional Rs 9,000 which he refused. He also couldn’t get any response when the victim attempted to contact the unknown person again. Realising he had been duped, he immediately reported the incident through the toll-free number 1930, requesting legal action against the cyber offender.

How did the cyber security bureau trace the accused?

Upon investigation, the cyber security bureau learned that there had been multiple victims who had raised similar complaints.

The team detected numerous complaints reported on the NCRP portal against several mobile numbers, revealing that the fraudsters were deceiving victims under the guise of providing loans. The team focused on this issue and discovered that many FIRs had been registered at various police stations across Telangana.

The data analysis team gathered critical clues leading to the apprehension of the accused.

Based on these clues, the DSP of D4C Wanaparthy, along with Kothakota Police, conducted a joint operation and arrested eight individuals, including the main fraudster. The operation resulted in the seizure of 26 mobile phones and four two-wheelers used in the commission of the crime. After the mobile phones were seized, they were analysed for crime links through the CyCAPS application, revealing that the accused were involved in 55 FIRs and 373 NCRP petitions.

The accused were arrested and charged with sections 66D of the IT Act, 2008, and 318(4) of the BNS Act at Kothakota Police Station, Wanaparthy district.

Public advisory

The public is cautioned not to send money towards processing fees, registration, income tax, GST, etc. for obtaining loans from Mudra, Dhani, or any other loan provider.

Be cautious of unsolicited calls offering loans. Always approach the nearest offices of loan-providing companies in person to verify their authenticity. If you fall prey to loan fraud, report it to 1930 or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.