Fake officer scam: Cyberabad police nabs impersonator at Madhapur

A police job aspirant, posing as an officer from the Indian Army and Indian Police Service, was nabbed by the Cyberabad Police at Madhapur.

Hyderabad: A police job aspirant, who took to crime and kidnapped and extorted people posing as an officer from the Indian Army and Indian Police Service, was nabbed by the Cyberabad Special Operations at Madhapur on Wednesday.

A country made pistol, 9 live rounds and other material, altogether worth Rs.2 lakh was seized.

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The arrested person is Naga Raju Karthik Raghu Varma alias Karthik (25), from Bhimavaram in Andhra Pradesh. He was previously involved in eight similar cases in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Jharkhand and was arrested.

According to the police, Karthik, who is a graduate, has aspired of becoming a cop since his college days and had also appeared for the SI and constable exams, but could not clear them. He came to Hyderabad in 2016 and took up odd jobs before turning to crime.

“Eventually, he planned to pose as an Army or Police officer and threaten and extort people. In Hyderabad, he had introduced himself as Special Operations Team officer and targeted people in secluded colonies, crowded places and late night,” said A.Srinivas Rao, In-charge DCP (Madhapur).

In 2017, he worked as a cab driver for a private travels in Sanathnagar and stole a car from the company.

He was arrested and jailed for it.

Again after coming out on bail, he stole two cars from a software company owner in Punjagutta in 2018.

During this, he came into contact with one Bikkudar Das who is an Ex-Army officer working for a security service and from their discussions, gained knowledge about Army ranks, uniform, batches and other vital information. Further, he purchased uniform of the major rank in the PARASF regiment.

“He went to his native place and informed his relatives and friends that he was recruited as major in the Indian Army and also started training aspirants wanting to join the police force and Army by establishing Sainik Defence Training Centre illegally,” Srinivas Rao said adding that the local police in Podur in AP, soon found his illegalities and nabbed him.

Following this, he was involved in a series of crimes which included robbing a trader from Banjara Hills posing as an Intelligence Wing officer in 2020, extorting money from an ambulance services owner in RC Puram. Interestingly, posing as an Army Colonel, he inaugurated a hospital in Miyapur for which he charged the management Rs.1.3 lakh. He also kidnapped a man and robbed him of Rs.2 lakh in KPHB.

Subsequently, he was arrested and detained under the Preventive Detention Act in May 2022 and recently released.

Police said after being released from the prison, Karthik, continued his criminal activities and robbed a sex worker in Rajahmundry and assaulted a drug peddler posing as a cop.

He recently came to Hyderabad and after purchasing police related uniforms, handcuffs, lathi, pistol pouch, etc from a dealer in the old city, started threatening people posing as police inspector. He kidnapped and extorted money from a elderly man in Gandhinagar.