Imposter who duped an MLA of Rs 3.60 lakh arrested

HYDERABAD: The Cyber Crime Police Station of Hyderabad City has arrested a man for cheating public representatives out of Rs 3.60 lakh by impersonating a government official.

On May 15, 2024, a complaint was received from the personal secretary of an MLA. The complaint detailed that a man had contacted the MLA, claiming to be an Additional Secretary in the Finance Department. He mentioned a new government loan scheme requiring the participation of 100 members, each contributing Rs 3,600, totalling Rs 3,60,000. Believing the scheme to be legitimate, the MLA transferred the money to the bank accounts provided by the accused. Once the money was received, the accused avoided further contact with the MLA.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Thota Balaji Naidu obtained phone numbers of MLAs and MPs from the website myneta.com. He contacted them, posing as an Additional Secretary from the Finance Department, and informed them of a fictitious government grant scheme requiring member contributions. Once the money was transferred, he would switch off his phone and avoid further calls. It was also discovered that Naidu is a habitual offender involved in 37 similar cases across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, targeting various MLAs and MPs.

The accused has been identified as Thota Balaji Naidu, 50, former Assistant Engineer at NTPC, Ramagundam, and a resident of Tenali in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh.

According to police, Naidu joined NTPC, Ramagundam, as an Assistant Engineer in 2008. In February 2009, the CBI caught him taking a bribe from an MLA’s personal assistant. He was subsequently arrested and sent to Karimnagar Jail. NTPC initially suspended him but reinstated him at the Visakha Parawada Simhadri Power Plant. After his removal from service in 2009, Naidu began committing fraud, leading to numerous registered cases.

The arrest was made by a team led by Inspector of Police S. Mattam Raju, including SI A. Uma, ASI K. Raj Kumar, and police constables Ch. Sunil Kumar, B. Naresh Goud, MG Sudharshan, P. Ashok Kumar, M. Ganesh, P. Sainath, and D. Meena, under the supervision of ACP RG Siva Maruthi.