Hyderabad: The Hyderabad police arrested two persons on charges of conspiring and misappropriating the amount sanctioned under Chief Minister Relief Fund (CMRF) for their wrongful gain and thereby cheated the State government and beneficiaries.
The arrested persons have been in Identified as Jogula Naresh Kumar (42), A Grocery Store Owner and Resident of Mettuguda and Balagani Venkatesh (37) (MPDO) in Nalgonda and Resident of Vanasthalipuram. Two other persons Korlapati Vamshi of Khammam, Pulipaka Omkar of peddapalle and otherers are absconding.
Jubilee Hills Additional Inspector R Madhusudhan said Kumar worked as a data entry operator on an outsourcing basis at the camp office of former Minister T Harish Rao. After the BRS lost the Assembly elections in 2023, the office was vacated from the Secretariat and Kumar was asked to submit all the documents including undisbursed CMRF cheques of beneficiaries at Kokapet office.
Kumar unlawfully took possession of 230 sanctioned cheques but undistributed, the Additional Inspector. He said Kumar then formed a team with Venkatesh, Vamshi, Omkar and others to claim the amount of beneficiaries with fake documents.
They contacted the persons with similar names on the cheques and claimed the amount by depositing them in a nationalized bank in Jubilee Hills. The total amount misappropriated was Rs.8.71 lakh by the accused and it was distributed among themselves, he said.
In all, Kumar and his gang claimed the amount belonging to 19 beneficiaries, who had not followed up after submitting their application. These beneficiaries belong to Khammam, Warangal and other areas. Based on information, the Jubilee Hills police booked a case and picked up Kumar and Venkatesh. After being grilled, the duo voluntarily admitted the crime.
The accused were also involved in five related criminal cases under various Sections of IPC and IT Act, registered at Jubilee Hills police station.
