Two individuals were arrested by the cyber crime wing of Cyberabad police in connection with a visa extension fraud case. Police said ₹9.6 lakh collected from victims through false promises of securing long-term visa extensions was recovered.
The accused were identified as Arjun Reddy, 38, a native of Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, and Anjaiah Reddy, 45, from Narasaraopet in Palnadu district. Police said Arjun Reddy was the mastermind while Anjaiah Reddy allowed his bank account to be used for receiving the funds.
The case came to light after a woman complained that the accused had promised to secure a long-term visa extension for her daughter and assured her that the money would be refunded if the process failed. Trusting the assurances, she transferred money in multiple transactions to bank accounts provided by the accused.
Police said the accused continued to provide false updates on the visa process, collected personal documents from the victim and later demanded additional payments. They subsequently stopped responding and neither processed the visa nor refunded the money.
During the investigation, officials found that the accused had used a similar method to cheat several other victims. The complainant suffered a loss of ₹9.6 lakh.
According to police, the accused contacted victims through acquaintances and social media platforms, lured them with promises of long-term visa extension services and collected money in the name of processing fees. They continued to issue fake progress updates before cutting off communication.
Based on technical analysis, call detail record examination, beneficiary bank account verification, mobile location tracking and human intelligence inputs, the police traced both accused after completing legal formalities.
A case was registered under Sections 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and 66-D of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and further investigation is under way.
Published – June 26, 2026 01:24 am IST
