Passport applicant cheated by gang in Hyderabad; Four arrested

Hyderabad police arrested a gang near the Secunderabad Passport Office for cheating applicants by falsely promising quick passport approvals. The accused collected money from victims, including Shaheen Sultana, and threatened them for more payments before being caught by SOT teams

Hyderabad: A gang allegedly cheating passport applicants by promising to clear pending passport applications within a day has been arrested by the Malkajgiri Special Operations Team (SOT) and Monda Market Police.

The suspects were identified as Shivaratri Siddulu,  T Venkatesh, V Ashwin Kumar, all residents of Addagutta, and P Deepak of Alwal.

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According to police, the group operated near the Secunderabad Passport Office, targeting applicants and falsely claiming to have contacts with officials who could expedite pending applications. The case came to light after an applicant Shaheen Sultana, approached the passport office regarding a passport application filed for her grandson in June last year that was still pending.

During this, Siddulu allegedly introduced himself as a passport broker and assured her that the issue would be resolved within a day. He reportedly collected Rs 6,000 from her but failed to get the work done. When Sultana contacted him again on June 4, Siddulu allegedly demanded more money and threatened that the passport would not be issued if she refused to pay.

Realising she had been cheated, she lodged a complaint with the Monda Market Police.

Based on the complaint, Malkajgiri SOT nabbed the gang members and handed over to Monda Market Police, who are probing whether there are any other victims.