6 Held For Supplying Mule Bank Accounts To Cyber Fraud Syndicates

Police said the accused procured bank account details from third parties and supplied them to cyber fraud syndicates operating from Cambodia, Myanmar, China, Pakistan and Nigeria. The accounts were used to launder and transfer defrauded money through UPI transactions, ATM withdrawals, cryptocurrency conversions and foreign remittances.

In the first case, a 67-year-old retired professor from Visakhapatnam was threatened by fraudsters posing as government officials, who falsely claimed that a fake ATM card had been created using his Aadhaar details. The victim was coerced into transferring Rs 1.05 crore in instalments to “prove his innocence” against an alleged ₹80 lakh case.

Police traced ₹8 lakh from an HDFC Bank account in Nidadavolu and arrested three accused, Kolukula Veerendranath (40), Imdad Hussain (39) and Garige Rajesh Kumar (32).

In the second case, an 84-year-old retired bank employee received a call from a fraudster impersonating a Supreme Court of India official. The victim was threatened with legal action and sent forged documents purportedly issued by the Central Bureau of Investigation. He transferred Rs 89.30 lakh through three RTGS transactions. Police traced the funds to a bank account in Vizianagaram and arrested the accused, Ch. Ravi.

In the third case, a 44-year-old resident of Ukkunagaram was lured into a fake investment scheme after joining a WhatsApp group named “Axis Securities” through a Facebook advertisement. He was directed to trade on a fraudulent platform titled “Hampton Sky Realty Ltd.” and transferred ₹48.21 lakh in 11 transactions before realising he had been cheated.

Police traced ₹5 lakh to a current account opened at Axis Bank, Kakinada, in the name of “Global Tours and Vacations” by Bikkina Raghu Vamsi and Malagala Subba Rao. Raghu Vamsi, a PhD holder facing financial difficulties, had opened the account after responding to a Facebook advertisement promising a one per cent commission per transaction.

Cybercriminals installed an APK file on his mobile phone linked to the account and conducted transactions amounting to nearly `2 crore, paying him ₹2 lakh as commission. Police arrested both accused and seized a laptop, two POS swipe machines and a QR code scanner.

Tirupati: A two-and-a-half-year-old girl was allegedly strangled and buried by her mother, with the help of her husband, on the outskirts of Tirupati. The crime came to light after a missing complaint was lodged by the child’s grandmother. Police exhumed the body near Papanaidupeta on Wednesday and have launched a manhunt for another accused who is absconding.

According to Tirupati East police, Y. Ashalatha, daughter of Nagarathnamma and Ranga of Auto Nagar, had separated from her first husband about one-and-a-half years ago. She later came into contact with I. Reddy Kumar (21), a resident of Chennampalli Harijanawada in Yerpedu mandal, through a social media platform. The two reportedly married at a local temple last year.

Police said Reddy Kumar’s parents did not accept the marriage after learning that Ashalatha had a child from her earlier marriage. He allegedly began pressuring her, insisting that they could live together only if she did not have the child. In this context, Ashalatha allegedly decided to kill her daughter.

On February 19, she allegedly strangled the toddler and, along with Reddy Kumar and his associate Ramu, buried the body in a secluded area near the Papanaidupeta–Chennampalli road. The child was reported missing by her grandmother, who grew suspicious over the circumstances of her disappearance.

During questioning, police said Ashalatha and Reddy Kumar confessed to the crime and led officials to the burial site. The body was exhumed on Wednesday in the presence of revenue officials, and post-mortem formalities were conducted.

Ashalatha and Reddy Kumar have been taken into custody for questioning. The missing case has been altered to a case of murder, and efforts are on to trace the third accused, Ramu. Further investigation is underway

Vijayawada: NTR district police recovered 122 lost and stolen mobile phones and returned them to their owners in Vijayawada using the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) platform.

The recovery was carried out under the directions of police commissioner S.V. Rajasekhar Babu and supervised by cyber crime DCP Krishna Prasanna at the Police Command Control Centre. Police said tracing and restoring missing mobile phones has been accorded priority as part of efforts to curb their misuse in cybercrimes.

Krishna Prasanna said the CEIR system has proved effective in tracking and blocking lost or stolen devices, helping prevent fraudulent activities. During the programme, police also created awareness among the public about cyber frauds and the need for prompt reporting.

Officials said that in the previous six phases, 2,467 mobile phones had been recovered and returned. In the seventh phase held on Wednesday, 122 mobile phones valued at about `18 lakh were restored, taking the total number of recovered devices in NTR district to 2,589.

Police urged citizens to immediately register complaints and use CEIR services in case of loss or theft of mobile phones to facilitate quicker recovery. Cyber crime ACP B. Rajasekhar, inspectors Durga Prasad, Srinu and Srinivas, cyber crime staff and beneficiaries were present.

Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam Range police on Tuesday destroyed 52,336 kg of seized cannabis and 142 litres of hashish oil in 783 cases at the Coastal Waste Management Project in Parawada, Anakapalli district, following directions from state DGP Harish Gupta.

The contraband had been seized in Alluri Sitharamaraju and Anakapalli districts between June 2024 and January 2026.

Of the total, ASR district accounted for 35,268 kg of cannabis and 132 litres of hashish oil in 451 cases, while Anakapalli district contributed 17,068 kg of cannabis and 10 litres of hashish oil in 332 cases.

The destruction was carried out through incineration as part of the range’s ongoing drive to eliminate cannabis cultivation. Police said illegal cultivation in the region has been reduced from 7,515 acres in 2021–22 to zero as of January 2026.

Visakhapatnam: Andhra University conducted a flying squad inspection at Sri Venkateswara Pharmacy College in Srikakulam as part of routine examination monitoring.

Prof. P.V. Lakshmi Narayana, a member of the university’s flying squad, led the inspection. During the visit, three suspected malpractice cases were detected and booked.

The cases were reported to the university authorities for further action in accordance with examination protocols.

Visakhapatnam: A bomb threat triggered panic at the Visakhapatnam district court on Wednesday after an anonymous email claimed that an RDX explosive had been planted on the premises and would be detonated.

Visakhapatnam commissioner of police Shanka Barata Bagchi said police received information about the email and immediately dispatched bomb disposal and dog squads to the court complex. Security teams conducted a thorough search of the premises.

“No bomb was found. It is a fake mail,” the CP confirmed.

Police launched an investigation to trace the sender of the hoax email.

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Kurnool: Food safety department officials conducted inspections at several milk dairies across Kurnool district on Wednesday as part of efforts to ensure quality standards and consumer safety.

Officials said more than 30 milk samples were collected in a single day during the drive. The samples have been sent to the Nacharam laboratory in Hyderabad for detailed analysis.

Food safety assistant commissioner Kurma Nayak said some samples collected from a few dairies appeared suspicious and were therefore forwarded for laboratory testing. Further action would be taken based on the test reports, he added.

The inspections are part of the department’s ongoing efforts to curb the sale of adulterated or substandard milk in the district.