A former cricketer, who had reportedly played in 'under-23' Ranji matches, has been arrested for allegedly cheating the Chairman & Managing Director of the company (CMD) of a company by claiming to be the PA of Telangana minister KT Rama Rao, police said on Saturday.
A complaint was received on January 13 from the accounts officer of a private firm that the CMD of his company has been cheated by a man to the tune of Rs 3.30 lakh, a press release from the police said.
In December last year, the accused had allegedly called the CMD and introduced himself as KTR's personal assistant.
He told the CMD that a cricket player from Andhra Pradesh has been selected for an Under-25 world cup to be held in England but he is in need of sponsorship as he hails from a poor family, the release said.
The accused also allegedly told the CMD that the logo of the latter's company would be displayed on the cricket kit and it would be handed over to the cricket player by the minister, it said.
The CMD of the private firm believed the accused and transferred the money to the bank account furnished by him. Later on, he realised that he had been cheated.
The police suspect that the accused was previously involved in similar cases across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He previously played cricket in the Ranji trophies 'under 23' catrgory for Andhra Pradesh, the release said.
The accused was arrested in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh on Friday, police added.
This comes just days after an incident in Andhra Pradesh, where the state's Women and Child Welfare Minister Tanneti Vanitha filed a complaint with Director General of Police (DGP) Gautham Sawang, alleging that her signature was forged in a recommendation letter.