A 28-year-old man from Andhra Pradesh, claiming to be TDP leader Paritala Srinivas’ brother and a film producer, was arrested for cheating gullible people on the pretext of providing them jobs. He tricked youngsters by offering them offers in his movies and collected an amount to the tune of Rs 87 lakh. The accused was arrested by the Jubilee Hills police for cheating and extortion after receiving complaints from six victims.

The accused, Koduri Rajesh, 28, collected money promising the victims jobs at the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). Rajesh, a native of Andhra Pradesh, was working with small firms in Bengaluru but wasn’t satisfied with the income he earned. He allegedly obtained credit cards with documents of his friends without their knowledge and spent the money on luxuries. After complaints were lodged against him, he was nabbed by the Madhapur police for pulling off similar frauds.

After he was released on bail, he again thought of ways to make easy money. According to reports, he allegedly set up a fake production company named ‘Hello Bharat Entertainment’ in order to convince people that he was an influential film producer. He soon befriended a fashion designer from the city and promised to provide her brother a job at BHEL.

He initially took Rs 5 lakh from her and in due course of time collected over Rs 31 lakh on the pretext that it was difficult for her brother to secure the job as he had scored low grades in his BTech examinations.

He also rented a flat at Banjara Hills and rented posh vehicles to travel in the city. He frequently changed his cell phones to convince his targets that he was a genuine businessman. He also had an active presence on social media which helped him to attract people with offers to act in his films.

After a complaint was filed by the fashion designer, five others filed a complaint for similar cases of duping. The Jubilee Hills police arrested and produced him before the court for judicial remand on Tuesday.