The money was swindled from 12 bank accounts that were frozen as part of the Hyderabad police investigation into the instant loan app case.
On April 21, a man approached the West Bengal Alipore branch of ICICI bank claiming to be a police officer from Hyderabad. The man was in possession of a fake letter from the Kolkata police directing the bank to unfreeze 12 bank accounts frozen as part of an ongoing nationwide investigation into a loan app and online betting racket. The man walked away with Rs 1.18 crore by transferring the funds to an SBI bank account. On Monday, the Hyderabad crime police said they arrested the fraudster and identified him as Nallamothu Anil Kumar.
Anil was arrested in West Bengal and later brought to Hyderabad for questioning. The Cyber Crime Police seized cash Rs 2 lakhs along with debit cards, cheque books, passbook, 3 mobile phones and a laptop used in the commission of offence from the accused.
The Hyderabad police began investigating the case based on a complaint filed with them by the Regional Manager, ICICI Bank, Gachibowli. The bank complained that an unknown person carried a fake letter from a Sub Inspector of Police with the cybercrime division in Kolkata and cheated the bank. The fraudster had threatened the bank official of dire consequences if the bank account was not unfrozen. The bank in its complaint said the fraudster had misrepresented material facts, prepared forged notices and submitted the forged notices asking them to unfreeze 12 ICICI bank accounts.
These bank accounts were frozen as part of the Hyderabad police investigation into the instant loan app case. The ICICI bank manager in Kolkata transferred Rs.1.18 Crores into an SBI bank account in Hyderabad.
The SBI bank account to which Rs 1.18 crore was credited belonged to a Begumpet resident, Anand Jannu who was arrested by the Hyderabad police on June 2. He was later remanded to judicial custody. However, the person who duped the bank officials remained at large until his arrest by sleuths from the Central Crime Station and cyber crime police. Anil was brought to Hyderabad on a transit warrant and was produced before the court and sent to judicial remand.
The accused Anil Kumar was previously arrested by Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police for his involvement in a similar type of offence in 2015. The trial for the case is still ongoing.