On July 20, Mohammad Imran was browsing on social media when he came across a 9.44-minute video showing seriously ill Yasmeen Sultana, surrounded by her four daughters. In the video, a man appeals to the public to make donations to the poor family to meet their expenses. The bank account and Google Pay options are set as banners in the video with a melodramatic background score. The man in the video, identified as Salman Khan, is also in tears as he makes the appeal for donations. “I didn't think twice and only wanted to help the family, so I transferred Rs 59,700 to the account mentioned in the video, the same day,” says Imran, who, a few days later while scanning Facebook comments of the Hyderabad Youth Courage Facebook page, noticed allegations of fraud.
“The money never reached the four children but was swindled off the account of the now-deceased Yasmeen,” says Imran, who on Saturday approached the Chandrayangutta police in Hyderabad with a complaint of fraud against Hyderabad Youth Courage (HYC) and its president Salman Khan for scamming the public.
Another complaint was lodged at Nampally police station on July 25 by Abdul Raheem, working as a scribe in Old City. He along with a group of friends donated Rs 50,000 after coming across a video titled “Mere Bete Ke Ilaaj Ke Liye Madad Karen" – Help me for my son’s treatment.
Abdul did not wish to speak to the media, but in his complaint letter, he stated that they had personally contacted Salman Khan, the president of HYC, and the group’s vice president Syed Ayub to hand over the amount on July 19. "When I asked for the receipt they smiled and said we will forward you on WhatsApp," the complaint said.
Shahbaz Khan, an anti-corruption activist from Hyderabad, pointed out that in the case of Yasmeen Sultana, the account number and Google Pay details shared on the video belonged to Asra Begum, a distant relative of the patient. “She received a total of Rs 45 lakh in her account. The money was then transferred to the personal accounts of HYC members; Asra Begum got Rs 16 lakh as commission for bringing in a patient. Two more cases are being filed against them. On Sunday a case will be registered at Banjara Hills by another victim of their fraud.”
Speaking to TNM, S Ragavendra, Inspector, Task Force, South Zone said, “The money has indeed been diverted to their personal accounts, there are no doubts about that as bank statements show this. The complaints were filed on Saturday and the investigation is yet to begin.”
Abdul in his complaint letter alleged that as many as seven persons who are part of HYC are involved with the fraud, and that the fraud has been ongoing for the past one year. The complainant also alleged that the HYC is an unregistered organisation that has been collecting funds even for the survivors of the Delhi pogrom earlier this year in February. "It’s a clear case of charity fraud under section 420 IPC,” said Abdul. A video allegedly showing several members of HYC arguing over distribution of Rs 12 lakh collected as part of the relief for the Delhi pogrom is also doing the rounds.
Police have booked cases under Section 420 for Cheating and dishonesty and under Section 406 for punishment for criminal breach of trust under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).