Currency scam gang busted in Sullurpeta

The Tirupati police busted a gang that resorted to cheating the public by promising to offer twice the sum of the demonetised ₹2,000 notes in exchange for ₹500 notes.

Claiming the transactions to be ‘legal’ and in tune with the government rules, a person named Chinna Swamy circulated messages on WhatsApp to closed groups comprising middlemen. Falling prey to his lofty promises, a victim, Jagadish, along with his friends arrived at Sullurpeta highway on May 7.

A person claiming to be Chinna Swamy’s personal assistant checked the ₹1 crore worth of legal tender with Jagadish and diverted him to a nearby room, where Swamy would offer his ₹2.5 crore in 2,000 denomination notes. After hoodwinking Jagadish, the group fled the spot by jumping into a waiting SUV. His attempt to stop the vehicle and catch them turned futile.

Though the details were unclear, Tirupati Superintendent of Police (SP) V. Harshavardhan Raju formed a team under Deputy Superintendent (Naidupeta) G. Chenchu Babu and Sullurpeta Circle Inspector (CI) M. Muralikrishna.

By gathering details from the victim and tracking the call records, the team traced the culprits and arrested four of them near Bhudanam toll plaza on Naidupeta-Nellore highway, while one was held in Tirupati. Cash amounting to ₹73.2 lakh was seized from their possession, apart from the fake notes in the denomination of ₹2,000, six Wi-Fi mobile routers, two SUVs and five mobile phones.

Addressing the media after inspecting the fake notes, Mr. Harshavardhan Raju appealed to the public to not fall prey to fraudsters and scammers.

The arrested were identified as Ambati Santosh alias Chinna Swamy (37), Barri Raviteja (39), K. Hemakar Rao (45), Satti Venkata Reddy (41) and Mamidi Umamahesh (28), while the sixth accused Donthireddy Haribabu Reddy is absconding.