From MLA offices to hospitals: The shocking CMRF scam across Telangana

Hyderabad: Has the Chief Minister Relief Fund (CMRF) been blatantly misused and encashed by the miscreants during the previous regime? Recent cases which have come to the fore in the last few months hint at the systematic misuse of public funds meant for genuine beneficiaries. With the cases booked by CID last year against different hospitals spread across Hyderabad, Khammam, Nalgonda, Karimnagar, Warangal, and Mahabubabad covering all corners of Telangana, prove the same. 

On 17 August, 2025 Suryapet District Police exposed a sophisticated scam involving the misappropriation of the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF) benefits, arresting six individuals, including former staff members of a local MLA's office. The elaborate scheme allegedly diverted Rs 15.83 lakh meant for genuine beneficiaries through fraudulent cheque encashments.  

During a press conference at the District Police Office, Superintendent of Police K. Narasimha IPS revealed that the accused had manipulated 44 CMRF cheques by exploiting their positions. The mastermind, Chedapangu Naresh (30), previously served as the social media coordinator in the camp office of former Kodad BRS MLA Bollam Mallaiah Yadav. His accomplices included two former private assistants to the MLA – Marla Veerababu (34) and Uppula Madhu (35). Police recovered ₹9.30 lakh in cash and six undeposited cheques.

In another case on 17 July, 2025 Jogula Naresh Kumar, who used to work as a data entry operator on an outsourcing basis at the camp office of former minister and BRS senior leader T Harish Rao, was arrested by Jubilee Hills police. He was accused in five cases that are related to CMRF fraud.

Jubilee Hills police said Naresh misused his access to the CMRF cheques while working at the minister’s office. After the 2023 elections and the defeat of the BRS government, Naresh unlawfully took possession of 230 sanctioned but undistributed cheques.

Further, the accused identified 19 cheques issued to applicants who had not followed up and deposited them into SBI accounts at Road No. 05 Jubileehills, SBI Branch with similar names, using forged details. He was also arrested previously in March last year 2024 by Jubilee Hills police in another CMRF fraud case.

On 23rd August 2024, following complaints from the Revenue Department, Telangana Secretariat, Hyderabad, indicating discrepancies in the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) applications submitted by various hospitals across different districts of Telangana State. Based on these complaints, a total of six cases were registered, and an investigation was initiated.

"The accused, Gotti Giri (RMP doctor) and Leki Reddy Saidi Reddy (hospital supervisor), were found to have fabricated rubber stamps of doctors and hospitals from local printing shops in Miryalguda. They charged Rs4,000 per fake application, submitting 19 fraudulent CMRF claims," read the statement released by CID.

Investigation by CID revealed that the accused created applications using fake CMRF bills made using fraudulent documents to deceive the government. The individuals used desktop computers to create fake medical bills. They also fabricated rubber stamps of doctors and hospitals from local printing shops in Miryalguda.These cases expose alarming vulnerabilities in the CMRF system, with multiple scams surfacing within months.