Cyber Frauds Posing as ED Officials Try to Digitally Arrest Singer Srikanth
Suspecting fraud, Srikanth refused to pay, ended the call and alerted Karimnagar police. City officers have registered a complaint and launched an investigation. They warned the public to treat unsolicited legal notices with caution, verify official credentials and report any suspicious calls immediately.
Karimnagar: Cybercriminals tried to “digitally arrest” and extort Rs 3 lakh from event organiser and singer Chiliveri Srikanth by impersonating Enforcement Directorate officials, police said on Sunday.
Srikanth, a resident of Sainagar, received a WhatsApp video call while attending a wedding on Hyderabad’s outskirts. The caller claimed Srikanth’s name appeared in a money-laundering case against 257 individuals and ordered him to remain isolated under “digital arrest.” When Srikanth pressed for details, additional voices posed as CBI officers.
The scammers sent forged documents — including an arrest order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, ECIR/MBZ0_1/02/2025 purportedly signed by ED assistant director Neeraj Kumar, a fake Supreme Court freeze order and an FIR (MH/5621/0225) alleging drug trafficking and identity theft — and demanded Rs 3 lakh to drop the charges.
Suspecting fraud, Srikanth refused to pay, ended the call and alerted Karimnagar police. City officers have registered a complaint and launched an investigation. They warned the public to treat unsolicited legal notices with caution, verify official credentials and report any suspicious calls immediately.