Nandyal police arrested two persons for allegedly impersonating police officers and extorting money from the public online.
According to Allagadda Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) K. Pramod, the two accused were identified as Akkapalli Chandrasekhar alias Chandrasekhar and Dasari Sandeep Kumar, both hailing from Mahabubnagar in Telangana.
Police said that on January 28, Chandrasekhar contacted complainant Karnati Pratap Reddy of Koilakuntla over phone impersonating as Sub-Inspector (SI) of Gadwal in Telangana. Chandrasekhar threatened the complainant that the latter had allegedly messaged a conductor’s wife, which led to a dispute, following which the woman allegedly attempted suicide and was undergoing hospital treatment.
The accused then demanded ₹4 lakh as settlement and threatened to file a police case if the amount was not paid. When the complainant requested to speak with the conductor, Dasari Sandeep Kumar, posing as the husband, spoke with the complainant and collected ₹30,000 through PhonePe. Based on Pratap Reddy’s complaint, a cybercrime case was registered at Koilakuntla police station.
During investigation, it was revealed that the accused had allegedly cheated several victims in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over the past two months, threatening and collecting amounts ranging from ₹50,000 to ₹3 lakh from each. So far, investigators have established that they collected approximately ₹15 lakh by depositing money into their PhonePe and bank accounts.
According to the police, the accused targeted victims through Threads app, where they identified individuals commenting on women’s photos and sharing their phone numbers. They then contacted the victims, blackmailing them by impersonating as police officers and extorted money online.
The police urged anyone cheated by these accused, either in Andhra Pradesh or other states, to approach the nearest police station and lodge a complaint at the earliest.
The DSP requested citizens to call the 1930 helpline immediately to report any cybercrime or online financial fraud. By promptly reporting to 1930, the fraudulent transaction amount can be frozen immediately, and a criminal case will be registered.
Published – February 04, 2026 07:03 pm IST
