Hyderabad, June 4: In a major breakthrough, the Jagadgirigutta Police, along with the Kukatpally CCS Team under the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate, have arrested four members of a fake police gang involved in kidnapping, extortion, wrongful confinement, and impersonation of law enforcement officers. Two other accused are currently absconding.
According to police, the gang targeted businessmen and affluent individuals by posing as police officers using forged identity cards, uniforms, rank badges, and other fake official materials.
The case came to light after Kavuri Purnachandra Rao (42), a resident of Jayanagar in Kukatpally, lodged a complaint. Rao stated that on May 18, while travelling near Subhodaya Colony in Prashanth Nagar, he was intercepted by six individuals claiming to be police officers. The accused informed him that a criminal case was pending against him in Haryana and compelled him to accompany them for questioning.
Speaking about the incident, DCP Quthbullapur Zone N. Koti Reddy, IPS, said the gang forcibly bundled the victim into a vehicle and took him to Suryapet, where they coerced him into withdrawing ₹1 lakh in cash. The accused then returned to Hyderabad and forced him to transfer an additional ₹5.26 lakh through online payment gateways. After confiscating his mobile phone, the gang released him in the Kukatpally area.
Following an intensive investigation, police identified and arrested four accused:
Nagaraju Raghu Varma alias Colonel Karthikeya Singh (Andhra Pradesh), Yeswanth Singh alias Rahul (Uttar Pradesh), Satyabhan Singh alias Thakur (Uttar Pradesh), Thangellapalli Nagendra Varma (Hyderabad).
Two other accused, Pradeep Kumar Mishra (Bihar) and Sunil Kumar alias Fauji (Haryana), remain absconding.
During the operation, police seized several incriminating items, including mobile phones, an air pistol, a country-made 7.65 mm pistol, a laptop, fake police uniforms, forged police identity cards, rank badges, handcuffs, police stamps, official-looking letter pads, and counterfeit court seals.
Police officials revealed that the gang had carefully planned its operations and used fake law enforcement credentials to gain the trust of victims before carrying out kidnappings and extortion.
Further investigation is underway to determine whether the gang was involved in similar crimes in other states.
