Trio held in Secunderabad for Rs 25 lakh rice-pulling scam

Hyderabad: Mahankali police arrested three persons for their alleged involvement in a rice-pulling business scam that duped a person of Rs 25 lakhs. The amount was recovered from the accused along with a copper vessel and cell phones.

The accused have been identified as Pagidimarry Shiva Santhosh Kumar (43), Gulluru Manjunath Reddy (38) and Pratap (44).

Modus operandi

Shiva Santhosh Kumar, Manjunath Reddy and Pratap came up with a plan to dupe gullible persons in the name of ‘Rice-Pulling Business’.

For this purpose, they used a copper vessel, which they claimed to have supernatural powers. They lured the complainant Shashikanth into the business by promising to double his money. They promised to return his investment as Rs 10 crores later.

They would advertise the sale of the copper vessel through a company known as ‘Appreches and Research’. Later, Shiva Santhosh met the complainant at the Minverva Grand on SD Road, Secunderabad, and introduced himself as an employee.

Shiva said that the quality of the vessel has to go under a scanner, which is available with the DRDO. To obtain the scanner, they asked the complainant to pay Rs 25 lakhs. On October 6, the complainant paid Rs 25 lakhs to Shiva Santhosh at the Bombay Hotel lane in Ranigunj. When he was asked for more money afterwards, the complainant realised that he was cheated and filed a complaint.

Based on credible information, the sleuths of the Commissioner’s Task Force, North Zone Team, Hyderabad City, along with Mahankali Police apprehended the accused. A case has been registered under sections 316(2), 318(4) BNS R/w 3(5) BNS of Mahankali PS and further investigation is on.