Hyderabad: Cyber fraud targeted Jangaon MLA Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, who lost ₹1 lakh after a caller posed as a senior finance department official and offered loans under a fake ‘Viksit Bharat’ scheme.
The caller introduced himself as Additional Secretary Anantha Rami Reddy from the Telangana Finance Department. He claimed the Centre was offering loans of up to ₹10 lakh per beneficiary under the scheme.
He asked the MLA to share a list of 40 eligible beneficiaries from the constituency. At the same time, he insisted that the deadline for applications would close on the same day.
Cyber fraud uses fake scheme to extract money from MLA
The caller demanded a processing fee of ₹2,500 per application and sought ₹1 lakh for 40 beneficiaries. Believing the proposal would help eligible individuals secure self-employment, the MLA transferred the amount to the number provided.
However, the caller stopped responding after receiving the money. Subsequently, the MLA grew suspicious and verified the details, which revealed that the call was fraudulent.
He then approached the Jubilee Hills police and lodged a complaint. Police registered a case and initiated an investigation.