Hyderabad: The Cyber Crime Police arrested a key accused in a matrimonial crypto fraud arrest operation at Chennai Airport on February 24 after he landed from Cambodia.
Pedapudi Prasanna Kumar, 32, a native of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, figured as the prime suspect in a case registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station, Hyderabad. Police invoked Sections 66C and 66D of the IT Act along with relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The case began after a 28-year-old Hyderabad resident filed a complaint. He told police that someone had cheated him through a fake matrimonial profile on Shaadi.com. The profile holder identified herself as Anjali Kandula and claimed to work in the United Kingdom as an Azure DevOps engineer.
She later shifted the conversation to WhatsApp and introduced him to a purported cryptocurrency trading platform named “Bakktcoin.” She promised high returns and cited guidance from her “expert uncle.” At first, the victim invested small sums. The platform displayed fabricated profits and showed a wallet balance of 14,481 USDT, roughly Rs.12 to Rs.12.5 lakh.
Probe deepens after matrimonial crypto fraud arrest
Encouraged by the figures displayed, the victim transferred larger amounts through Binance USDT (ERC-20) transactions. When he tried to withdraw funds on November 13, 2025, the operators demanded additional payments instead. He then contacted the 1930 cybercrime helpline and lodged a formal complaint. He reported a total loss of Rs.11,17,834.
During the probe, investigators traced the operation to Prasanna Kumar and identified him as the alleged mastermind. Police said he travelled to Cambodia in April 2024 through a job consultant while seeking overseas work. There, he allegedly joined an organised cybercrime network that targeted Indian nationals through social media and matrimonial platforms.
According to investigators, he underwent training in cryptocurrency and forex fraud methods. He also arranged 400 to 500 illegal SIM cards through local operatives in Visakhapatnam, whom police had arrested earlier. He and his associates used these SIM cards to create fake profiles posing as professional women and non-resident Indians.
The syndicate contacted victims, built personal rapport and promoted fraudulent investment platforms. They first displayed small profits to gain trust. Thereafter, they persuaded victims to invest larger sums. When victims sought withdrawals, the group either cut off communication or demanded more money under the pretext of taxes and processing charges.
After completing legal formalities, police produced the accused before a court. Investigators are now tracing the money trail, identifying beneficiary accounts and examining domestic and international links connected to the organised fraud network.