Cybercriminals Dupe Minister Narayana’s Kin of Rs.1.96 Crore
According to police, although the incident occurred nearly two months ago, its information has surfaced with Nellore Rural and Cybercrime police on the verge of apprehending the culprits.
Nellore: Uttar Pradesh–based cyber fraudsters duped Andhra Pradesh Municipal Administration minister Ponguru Narayana’s son-in-law Puneeth of ₹1.96 crore.
According to police, although the incident occurred nearly two months ago, its information has surfaced with Nellore Rural and Cybercrime police on the verge of apprehending the culprits.
Investigators said Puneeth’s accountant A. Suresh Kumar received a WhatsApp message from a number that closely resembled his employer’s. The sender first sought details of the cash balance in one of the company’s accounts. Upon receiving the reply, another message directed the accountant to urgently transfer ₹1.96 crore to another account. Believing it to be a genuine instruction, Suresh executed the transfer.
When no confirmation came from the sender, the accountant informed Puneeth the next day, only to realise that cybercriminals had duped him.
Acting on Suresh Kumar’s complaint, a special team led by Nellore Rural circle inspector G. Venu launched a probe and identified the accused as Sanjeev Kumar and Aravind Kumar Srivastav, both from Uttar Pradesh. Police said there is another key suspect, whose identity is not yet known
Investigators have managed to freeze about ₹1 crore in the main account of the accused, while ₹96 lakh have been routed to multiple accounts.
