Andhra Official Loses Rs 2 Lakh To Frauds Posing As Anti-Corruption Officers

Reminiscent of the Hindi film Special26, a cyber fraud targeted a government official in Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari district, who was allegedly duped of Rs 2 lakh by criminals posing as Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials.

Cyber criminals reportedly contacted Mogalturu Sub-Registrar, Sabbithi Srinivas, demanding a payment of Rs 3 lakh to avert an immediate ACB raid on his office. Srinivas said he was aware that there had been ACB raids across the state in recent days but despite maintaining that he was "functioning honestly and had nothing to fear", Srinivas says he was pressured into arranging an immediate payment.

In multiple transactions, the official transferred Rs 1 lakh via PhonePe, and also directed his assistant to pay another Rs 1 lakh, transferring a total of Rs 2 lakh to the fraudsters.

The criminals, however, persisted, demanding the remaining Rs 1 lakh. This continuous pressure finally triggered suspicion, leading Srinivas to cross-check the demand with an actual ACB Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).

Upon consulting the genuine ACB official, Srinivas realised that he had fallen victim to a sophisticated cyber extortion racket. He immediately filed a formal complaint at the Mogalturu Police Station.

The Mogalturu Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation into the matter to track the cyber criminals responsible for the impersonation and fraud.