Visakhapatnam: An ex-serviceman and activist from Visakhapatnam Bodireddy Srinivasa Reddy got cheated of Rs 80,000 by a fraudster impersonating political leaders and officials on phone.
Srinivasa Reddy has been pressing for the development of a vacant park site, valued at nearly Rs 20 crore, at Rajendranagar in Seethammapeta. In this regard, he had appealed to the GVMC commissioner Ketan Garg and local public representatives without success. On June 3, he posted appeals in this regard on Facebook accounts linked to prominent figures, including Nara Lokesh and Nara Brahmani.
Four days later, the ex-serviceman received a WhatsApp call from a number with a display photo and name of former minister Devineni Uma. The caller claimed to represent political leaders and shared screenshots of alleged chats with MLAs and the GVMC Commissioner to lend credibility.
The fraudster went on to impersonate well-known personalities via video and voice calls. In the process, Srinivasa Reddy shared details with the conman about the vacant park’s development and his pending land tax issue. Gradually, the cheat convinced the ex-serviceman into paying a “formality amount” to resolve his land tax issue and expedite the park’s development.
Believing the assurances, Srinivasa Reddy transferred Rs 80,000 via PhonePe to a UPI ID where the receiver’s name appeared as Rathod Santosh. The caller continued to call, promising that leaders would speak with him and that his issues would be resolved.
When nothing happened, Srinivasa Reddy realised that he had been deceived through impersonation and fake digital identities. He has lodged a complaint with the Visakhapatnam Cyber Crime Police, who have registered a case and begun investigations.
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