Hyderabad: Malakpet police on Tuesday arrested nine men for allegedly impersonating Task Force officers and cheating a trust organiser of ₹50 lakh in a staged operation.
According to CI Naresh, Vijay Kumar of Mancherial, who runs the Sevarath Trust, was approached recently by two men—Narender and Srikanth—posing as representatives of a corporate firm. They promised to deposit ₹1 crore into his account under a CSR scheme, on the condition that he pay them ₹50 lakh upfront.
Believing the offer, Vijay Kumar arranged the money and handed it over on July 4 at a relative’s house in Moosarambagh. As the exchange took place, three unidentified men entered claiming to be Task Force police. They threatened everyone present, seized the cash and fled.
Following a complaint, Malakpet police and the South East Zone Task Force formed five teams to investigate. CCTV footage and call data helped identify the accused.
Those arrested include: Ravinder Goud (pharma trader, Old Bowenpally), Eegala Ramana (real estate agent, Visakhapatnam), Kolli Lincoln Babu (private employee, Secunderabad), Pinninti Naveen Reddy (Ranga Reddy), Syed Dastagir Khadri (Eidibazaar), Gajjelli Vijay Chandra (real estate, Bowenpally), Darshanam Murali (Madanapet), Ashok Goud (private worker, Ranga Reddy), and Aavula Ramulu (Rapido driver, Saidabad).
Police recovered ₹6.94 lakh in cash, eight mobile phones, and three bikes. Four key suspects—Mohan alias Wahid, Sameer, Ayaz Deshmukh, and Sahil—are absconding. Efforts are on to trace them, CI Naresh said.