Cyberabad police have arrested five members of a pseudo-police gang that allegedly kidnapped a businessman, impersonated police officers, wrongfully confined him and extorted more than ₹5 lakh after convincing him that he was wanted in a criminal case in Haryana.
The accused were identified as Nagaraju Raghu Varma, who allegedly used several aliases including Karthikeya, Vamshi, Alluri Vijayaram and Karthikeya Singh, a native of Andhra Pradesh; Yeswanth Singh alias Rahul and Sathyabhan Singh alias Thakur, both from Uttar Pradesh; and Thangellapalli Nagendra Varma from Hyderabad.
Two other accused, identified as Pradeep Kumar Mishra from Bihar and Sunil Kumar alias Fouzi from Haryana, remain at large.
The accused were apprehended by Jagadgirigutta police with the assistance of the Kukatpally Central Crime Station (CCS) following an investigation into the incident reported by a 42-year-old businessman from Jayanagar in Kukatpally.
According to police, the incident was reported on May 18 near Shobodhaya Colony in Jagadgirigutta when the victim was travelling towards Prashanth Nagar on his motorcycle. A car intercepted him and three men got out, identifying themselves as police officers. They told him that a criminal case had been registered against him in Haryana and that he needed to accompany them for questioning.
Believing them to be genuine police personnel, the businessman got into the vehicle. Police said the gang then confined him, seized his mobile phone, ATM card and cash, and forced him to disclose banking credentials and passwords.
To make the deception appear authentic, the accused arranged a fake video call in which another person posed as a police officer from Haryana. The victim was then taken to Suryapet, where the gang withdrew ₹1 lakh from his bank account through ATM transactions. Another ₹1 lakh was transferred through PhonePe, while additional funds were siphoned off through online banking applications.
In total, the gang extorted ₹5.26 lakh from the businessman. After obtaining the money, they assaulted him, removed his SIM card, handed him a basic mobile phone and abandoned him at a secluded location before fleeing.
Items seized by the police | Photo Credit: By Arrangement
During questioning, investigators found that several members of the gang had become acquainted while serving prison terms and continued operating as an organised criminal network after their release.
Police said the gang primarily targeted businessmen and other financially well-off individuals. They used fake police uniforms, forged identity cards, rank badges and insignia to pose as law enforcement personnel. Victims were then intimidated with fabricated criminal allegations and coerced into transferring money through ATM withdrawals, online banking and digital payment platforms.
Investigators also found that the group used support networks for surveillance, identifying potential targets and coordinating operations across multiple States.
Police records revealed that Nagaraju Raghu Varma was a habitual offender involved in at least 12 similar cases across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand. He had previously been detained twice under the Preventive Detention Act and is a rowdy-sheeter at Poduru police station. The other accused are also linked to cases involving theft, property offences, dacoity and cyber-related crimes in different States, according to investigators.
During the operation, police seized mobile phones, laptops, an air pistol, a country-made 7.65 mm pistol, police uniforms, fake identity cards, rank badges, handcuffs, batons, forged police stamps, name plates, fake government documents, court seals, fake vehicle registration plates, SIM cards and vehicles, including a Tata Tiago car and Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycles.
The accused were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody. Police said efforts are continuing to trace the absconding suspects and identify additional victims who may have been targeted by the gang.
Published - June 04, 2026 01:03 am IST
Source: The Hindu - India News
