Five held for extortion after impersonating as ACB officers in Telangana

Hyderabad, Dec 1 (PTI) Five members of an inter-state gang allegedly involved in extortion by impersonating officials of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) were arrested in Warangal district in Telangana, police said on Monday.

Warangal Police Commissioner Sunpreet Singh said that the prime accused R Srinivas (45) had been targeting government officials, particularly those working in higher positions or who were close to retirement.

Posing as an ACB Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), the accused would call the victims and threaten them, saying "corruption charges are filed against them and a case has been registered. To escape the case, you must pay money," a police release said.

Through this modus operandi, he extorted large sums of money from various individuals, it said.

Recently, the accused contacted Motor Vehicle Inspector, Transport Department, Warangal district, posing as an ACB DSP, and extorted Rs 9.96 lakh through multiple transactions. Following the victim’s complaint, Mills Colony Police registered a case and initiated an investigation.

Police said, using advanced technical support, they traced and arrested the main accused, hailing from Andhra Pradesh, along with four accomplices, who belong to Karnataka, from an area in Warangal.

"He (Srinivas) has 19 cases registered so far — nine in Telangana and 10 in Andhra Pradesh. He has been arrested in eight cases, while he evaded arrest in 11 other cases, including in Mills Colony (Warangal)," the Commissioner said.

The prime accused confessed that he spent the extorted money on online betting and casinos in Goa along with four arrested and three other absconding accused, the release added. PTI VVK VVK KH