Hyderabad: A fraud, who allegedly tried to dupe Telangana MLAs in the name of ‘PM’s employment guarantee scheme’, was arrested by Jubilee Hills police on Monday. MLA A. Revanth Reddy had filed a complaint alleging that the fraudster sought Rs 1.5 lakh as bribe from him and other MLAs. The suspect, Thota Balaji Naidu, approached the MLAs saying he would help them get Rs 2 crore under the PM’s scheme. Balaji was earlier arrested by the police for defrauding Malkajgiri MLA of Rs 90,000.
Police said Balaji impersonated as an official of Telangana State Financial Department and called MLA Revanth Reddy. “He claimed that he was calling from the office of the principal Secretary, finance, and wanted to discuss about funds released by the Prime Minister. He claimed that he would get the fund released for the MLA if he was ready to give him Rs 1.5 lakh. However, when the MLA checked, he found that no such person was employed there. So he lodged a laint,” said SI Md. Maqsood Ali.
Balaji had sent bulk emails to MLAs saying that the PM had formulated a scheme under which MLAs will be beneficiaries and lured them saying that they will get Rs 2 crore each. Police said that he was earlier arrested in similar cases in Alwal, Kacheguda and Malkajgiri. In the Malkajgiri case, Balaji Naidu had called up the Malkajgiri MLA on June 8, 2013 and introduced himself as an official of the District Rural Development Authority. He told him about some government schemes and asked him to deposit money as membership fee.
He informed the MLA that there are some 50 per cent subsidy schemes of the AP government for purchasing cars, setting up dairy farms, stores, etc and asked him to pay Rs 90,000 for enrolling 300 members (Rs 300 per member) for taking membership in 'Kutumba Sankshema Abhivrudhi Nidhi'. After the MLA realised he was cheated, he lodged a complaint, and police arrested the suspect.
