NELLORE: Prakasam district police have arrested a cyber fraudster who targeted elderly villagers by deceitfully swapping their SIM cards and siphoning money through betting apps.
A case was registered at Chimakurthy Police Station under BNS Sections 303(2), 318(4), 319(2) and IT Act Sections 66(C) and 66(D). The offences took place before November 29 near Marrichettlapalem village.
The accused, Adipudi Venkata Seshaiah, 34, of Nellore district, would approach elderly people under the guise of helping them make an urgent call. After gaining their trust, he took their phone, activated call diversion, removed their SIM card and inserted his own, while secretly placing their SIM in his device.
Using OTPs sent to the victim’s number, he accessed bank accounts and transferred money into betting apps before routing the funds into his accounts. He used the same method to cheat multiple victims.
One victim, Veerapalli Venkayya, 63, of Bakkireddypalem village, lost ₹5,21,000 and lodged a complaint on November 29.
Acting swiftly, the Ongole IT Core Team, led by CI Venkateswarlu, traced the accused using digital evidence. With support from Chimakurthy CI D. Prasad and staff, he was intercepted and arrested at ST Colony, Devarapalem, on Saturday.
Police recovered Rs 2,60,000 in cash, the mobile phone used in the crime and two SIM cards, including the victim’s.
SP Harshavardhan commended the teams for promptly cracking the case.
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