Main accused in Rs 547 crore cyber case Vikas Chowdary caught by Khammam police

Khammam police arrested Udathaneni Vikas Chowdary, the main accused in a Rs 547 crore cyber fraud case, along with 13 others. Police said the accused ran online gaming and trading scams using mule accounts and international cyber links

Khammam: After being a fugitive for a long time, the main accused in the Rs 547 crore cyber fraud case, Udathaneni Vikas Chowdary, was arrested and remanded along with 13 others.

Speaking to the media at Sathupalli on Tuesday, Kallur ACP Vasundhara Yadav informed that, based on a complaint, a case was registered against Vikas Chowdary, his wife Boppana Nagapriya and their friend Adapa Rama Venkata Charan Chowdary at Sathupalli police station on Monday.

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They were booked under Sections 318(4) (cheating), 319(2) (cheating by personation), 336(3) (forgery), 338 (forgery of valuable securities) read with 3(5) (furtherance of common intention) of the BNS and Section 66-D of the IT Act.

It was part of and a continuation of a previously registered cyber crime case booked at VM Banjar police station on December 24. Police on January 11 this year arrested 18 of the 24 persons booked in the case.

Vikas and Charan, natives of Mushtibanda in Dammapet mandal of Kothagudem and living in Hyderabad, were arrested on Monday. In his confessional statement, Charan said he had friendship with Vikas and Nagapriya when they were studying at Millennium School at Sathupalli. At their request, he joined their online business as he was offered quick money.

Vikas and Nagapriya have been engaged in online gaming and betting since 2020. They established links with some international cybercriminals abroad, operated call centres and called Indian citizens through WhatsApp offering high profits through online cryptocurrency and stock market trading, reward points and matrimony sites.

They added gullible persons to their Telegram groups, sent online links and QR codes, and stole money from their bank accounts. At their request, Charan provided 22 mule accounts for the cyber crime activities. Based on his statement, 12 individuals were arrested and the investigation is ongoing. Eight persons, including Nagapriya, are absconding, the ACP said.

It was said that Vikas used to live a lavish life by flying in chartered planes, staying in five-star hotels with the ill-earned money and maintaining high-profile contacts. He runs an interior design company, Extrika Spaces, in Hyderabad.

A March 21, 2024 post on the company’s Instagram account shows Vikas calling on Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy along with Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Telangana State Irrigation Corporation chairman Muvva Vijaya Babu.

His relationship with Congress leaders helped him evade arrest all these days while he was trying to get anticipatory bail. Finally, he was caught by the police after he failed to secure anticipatory bail, sources said.