The police arrested Harish on October 16, and a small portion of the stolen funds was recovered.
Hyderabad: Vadlachary Harish, a 27-year-old Telugu man, has been arrested in the United States by the El Paso County sheriff’s office in Colorado and the Orange County sheriff’s office in Florida for allegedly impersonating a government official and scamming senior citizens out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in a multi-state cybercrime case.
Harish, who was in the US on a visa, was tracked down and arrested following a coordinated investigation between the two county law enforcement agencies. Police said Harish was part of a network involved in multiple scams targeting elderly victims across several states.
According to the El Paso county sheriff’s office, the case began on September 29 when a victim reported being defrauded in a government impersonation scam. The woman said that on September 11, a man posing as a federal agent had visited her home and collected $200,000 in cash.
Explaining the modus operandi, police said the victim received a phone call from someone claiming to represent a federal agency investigating her for criminal activity. The caller then persuaded the victim to grant remote access to her computer via an email link, allowing the scammers to access her bank account. They subsequently demanded payment in cash or gold, assuring her that a “government agent” would come in person to collect the money.
The police arrested Harish on October 16, and a small portion of the stolen funds was recovered. He is in the custody of the Orange County sheriff’s office in Florida, facing charges including at-risk robbery, money laundering, conspiracy to commit theft and fugitive from justice.
The El Paso county sheriff’s office confirmed that Harish is awaiting extradition to Colorado. Sheriff Joseph Roybal, in an official statement, said, “Criminals who exploit the trust of others, especially our elderly community, will find no refuge from justice. I commend our investigators and our partners in Florida for their swift and coordinated response. Together, we will continue pursuing those who prey upon our citizens.”
