Hyderabad: Cybercrime sleuths of Hyderabad police arrested five people in Warangal for allegedly cheating individuals under the guise of offering loans. Police said that the accused had been trained by associates in West Bengal.The five accused—Bochu Arun, Gadam Bharath, Samarlla Thirupathi, Velpugonda Tharun and Chukka Shyam—were arrested based on a complaint filed by a 36-year-old woman. According to the police, the victim claimed that she had come across an Instagram advertisement offering loans and had clicked on it to find out more. She then received a phone call from someone who informed her that she was eligible for a loan of Rs 3 lakh loan. Police said that the accused collected money from the victim by citing various reasons such as TDS, processing fees, and so on. However, since they demanded more money instead of sanctioning the loan, she sought a refund. Subsequently, the accused started to evade her.Police said that the accused stayed in Kolkata for one month, during which time they learned how to contact victims and extract money through their handlers. In 2023, the accused got in touch with their handlers in Kolkata. The handlers provided accommodation in which to train the Warangal residents.Police said that the arrested accused had promised to pay 30% of the ill-gotten money to their handlers. Based on the bank accounts into which the victims’ money was credited, police were able to track down the accused. Police seized eight phones and 10 SIM cards from the accused.
