Hyderabad: Police detected the Mailardevpally theft case and arrested two members of an inter-state gang accused of targeting women through social media and dating applications with fake job offers. Investigators recovered stolen gold ornaments, cash, a vehicle and other evidence linked to the offence.
The accused were identified as Kudumula Pandu Ranga Rao alias Sunny Naidu, 32, from Visakhapatnam, and Periyannan alias Kumar, a driver from Tamil Nadu. Police said the duo used online platforms to gain the trust of women before allegedly cheating and stealing from them.
According to the complaint filed by Jetla Srivani of Kattedan, she became acquainted with Pandu Ranga Rao through Instagram and the Eaze application about a week before the incident. The accused allegedly introduced himself as the managing director of a finance company and claimed to be the son of a prominent film producer. He then offered her a lucrative job opportunity and gradually gained her confidence.
Investigators said the accused first convinced the complainant to transfer Rs.7,500 by citing a financial emergency. On June 2, he allegedly visited her residence in Kattedan after expressing a desire to meet her in person.
Mailardevpally theft case leads to recovery of stolen property
Police said that while the complainant went to fetch a glass of water, the accused allegedly stole her gold mangalsutram, including two gold pusthelu and two gold gundlu, from near a mirror inside the house. He then left the premises. After discovering the theft, the victim approached police, who registered a case under Sections 318(4) and 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Acting on credible intelligence and technical evidence, the Mailardevpally Crime Team apprehended both accused on June 11. During the operation, police recovered the stolen gold mangalsutram, Rs.70,000 in cash, a Toyota Etios car, gold loan receipts, three mobile phones, an Airtel Payments Bank ATM card and an Indian Bank RuPay debit card.
Police said further investigation is continuing to determine whether the accused were involved in similar offences in other states. Officers suspect that social media and online networking platforms were used as tools to identify and target victims.
The operation was carried out under the supervision of ACP Chandrayangutta A. Sudhakar. SHO Sathyanarayana, Detective Inspector Maqsood Ali and the crime team were commended for the swift detection and recovery.
Police advised the public not to trust unknown persons on dating or networking applications, avoid sharing personal information online, refrain from sending money to internet acquaintances and verify job offers through official channels before engaging with recruiters.
