7 arrested in Jubilee Hills for misusing ₹8.71 lakh CMRF funds
HYDERABAD: Jubilee Hills police have arrested seven people for allegedly misappropriating ₹8.71 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) by posing as beneficiaries. Police said the accused conspired to cheat the government and deprived genuine applicants of their rightful relief.
Police identified those arrested on September 18 as Potla Ravi, 46, Janagama Nagaraju, 40, Mateti Bhasker, 33, Dharmaram Raju, 50, Kampalli Santhosh, 35, Chityala Laxmi, 65, and Asampelli Laxmi.They are natives of Godavarikhani village, Pedapally district.
Fake beneficiaries, forged details
Investigators said the accused deposited sanctioned CMRF cheques into their personal bank accounts and withdrew the funds. Authorities booked them under Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust), 417 (cheating), 419 (impersonation), 467 (forgery), and 120(B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, along with Section 66(C) of the Information Technology Act.
Detective Inspector M Satyanarayana of Jubilee Hills police station led the operation with his team and produced the accused before court for judicial remand.
Larger conspiracy uncovered
Police said the fraud dates back to 2023, after the defeat of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government. Accused Naresh Kumar, then working in a minister’s office, allegedly took possession of 230 sanctioned but undistributed CMRF cheques.
Someone deposited nineteen cheques meant for applicants who had not followed up into State Bank of India accounts using forged details.. The total misappropriated amount was ₹8.71 lakh.
On July 15, authorities arrested four others — Jogula Naresh Kumar, 42, Balagoni Venkatesh, 37, Korlapati Vamshi, 24, and Pulipaka Omkar, 34 — in connection with the scam.
Investigation continues
Assistant Commissioner of Police S Venkat Reddy said further investigation is under way to trace other suspects and recover funds. Some accused are absconding, and efforts are being made to apprehend them.
The case is being investigated under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police S M Vijay Kumar, West Zone, Hyderabad.