Nellore Woman Loses ₹2.46 Crore to Cyber Criminals
A woman from Nellore was defrauded of ₹2.46 crore by an inter-state cybercrime gang that lured her with promises of high returns on minimal investments. The Nellore district police have arrested seven suspects in connection with the case. Nellore Superintendent of Police Krishna Kant revealed the case details during a media briefing.
Lalitha, a resident of Pogathota in Nellore city, encountered an online marketing link on her Instagram account. Upon clicking the link, she was contacted by a woman named Nishabasu, who persuaded her that investing in online marketing would yield substantial profits and assured her of guidance and advice throughout the process. Nishabasu instructed Lalitha to install a specific mobile application as part of the scheme.
Enticed by the promise of higher returns for larger investments, Lalitha borrowed funds and made multiple deposits through the app. Between January 23 and February 3 this year, she deposited a total of ₹2,46,30,396.
Later, the app interface displayed a credited amount of ₹4,02,24,759 in Lalitha’s account. However, her attempts to withdraw the amount failed. Realizing she had been defrauded, Lalitha filed a complaint at the Chinnabazaar Police Station in Nellore on March 9.
Acting on the complaint, the police formed a special team and intensified their investigation using technical evidence. Their efforts led them to Chennai, Hyderabad, and Rajasthan. The investigation identified the key accused as Ramaram from Rajasthan, along with his associates Gogaram, Hemath Kumar, Kailash, and Nagaran. Two additional suspects from Hyderabad were identified as Veereshwara Rao and M. Ravi.
On April 25, the police arrested the five suspects from Rajasthan and apprehended the two Hyderabad-based individuals on Saturday. According to Superintendent Krishna Kant, the arrested individuals are currently being interrogated to extract more information, and the investigation is ongoing. Given the inter-state nature of the cyber fraud, police have launched an in-depth probe into the case.