Pahadi Shareef police probe ₹50 lakh extortion linked to Hydraa
HYDERABAD: Pahadi Shareef police have stepped up their investigation into allegations that middlemen extorted ₹50 lakh from Chaitanya Reddy of Vertex Real Estate in Mankhal village, under Tukkuguda municipality, by invoking the name of the organisation Hydraa.
According to police sources, Hydraa alleged that the brokers who meddled in the dispute between Vertex Real Estate and Chaitanya Reddy behaved like “thieves calling others thieves”.
The accused, identified as Sunkari Naresh (A2), along with Praveen and Chandu Srinivas, have allegedly been evading police inquiry using various tactics. Investigators said the suspects have not submitted the mobile phones they used earlier, which could reveal key evidence. One claimed the phones were missing, while another has been avoiding repeated summons from police.
Hydraa said it requested the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to take up a parallel inquiry if necessary, and added that ACB had expressed its consent to cooperate.
Fake certificates and bar suspension
Hydraa also pointed out that Sunkari Naresh had earlier been suspended by the Bar Council for allegedly practising as a lawyer using fake educational certificates. Though he obtained a stay order, investigations confirmed that his documents were forged.
The organisation said Naresh, despite his record of fraud, had been spreading falsehoods on social media along with a YouTuber named Mana Tholi Velugu Raghu, to defame Hydraa. Hydraa claimed that Raghu had visited Vertex Ventures in Naresh’s vehicle and aired fabricated stories about the dispute. Police are verifying the motive behind these reports, and are analysing call data records, messages, and phone conversations linked to them.
Hydraa also said it possesses evidence, including the statement of Chaitanya Reddy, confirming that he paid ₹50 lakh to Naresh. “Naresh took ₹50 lakh from me, promising to complete the work with Hydraa,” Chaitanya Reddy reportedly said, according to Hydraa.
Cheque drama after case registration
Naresh later claimed that Chaitanya Reddy had given him two cheques — one for ₹10 lakh and another for ₹20 lakh — in connection with ongoing cases. However, police records show that a case was registered against Naresh at Pahadi Shareef police station on September 4, while the cheques were made public only on September 8. Hydraa noted that Reddy had already stated in June that he had paid ₹50 lakh to Naresh. Police are now examining who wrote the details and dates on the cheques. The cheques have been sent to the forensic lab to determine handwriting authenticity.
Hydraa stated that if the ACB enters the investigation, the “entire truth will come out.” The organisation also said it would seek to be impleaded in the High Court case to ensure the probe is comprehensive.
