Telangana: CBI nabs proclaimed offender and master of disguise Chalapathi Rao after a 20-year manhunt

After cheating the SBI Chandulal Baradari branch of 50 lakh, Chalapathi Rao changed names thrice, moved to six different places. His wife got a court decree declaring him as dead after he went missing for seven years. But the CBI located him in Tamil Nadu and arrested him in a probe that lasted for more than two decades

Hyderabad: The saga of V Chalapathi Rao, who was a proclaimed offender, who went underground after allegedly cheating the State Bank of India (SBI) Chandulalal Baradari branch in Hyderabad, truly reflects his criminal ingenuity.

He changed his name thrice and changed base six times moving over different states. His wife had even moved the court and got a decree to declare him as dead, but the proverbial long arm of law finally caught up with him two decades later, when the CBI sleuths zeroed in on and arrested him in Tirunelveli of Tamil Nadu on Sunday last and brought him back to Hyderabad.

---

The two-decade long CBI investigation began when Chalapathi Rao cheated teh SBI Chandulal Biaradari branch in Hyderabad to the tune of Rs 50 lakh. He had allegedly fabricated quotations of electronic shops and fake salary certificates created in the names of his family members and close assocaites and embezzled money. He was then working as a computer operator in the bank, a bureau press release said on Tuesday.

The CBI which began the probe filed two chargesheets in 2004 and the accused was missing 2004 and his wife too was an accused person in the case. However, she filed a petition in the civil court to declare Chalapathi Rao, the absconding accused as dead person after completitonof seven years, after Chalapathi Rao allegedly went missing. The Hyderabad City Civil Court has also passed a decree in this regard.

As Chalapathi Rao was absconding, the case against him was split up and upon completion of proceedings under Sections 82 & 83 Cr.PC, he was declared Proclaimed Offender (PO) in April 2023 in the CBI case.

During the course of investigation, his wifea stay from High Court of Telangana on the efforts to attach the property of Proclaimed Offender (PO). The CBI said in a press release that the PO had resorted to numerous efforts including constantly changing locations, contact numbers, identity, etc. However, CBI relentlessly pursued leads and finally caught him from a village in Tamil Nadu.

As per information gathered by CBI, Chalapathi Rao fled to Salem and married a woman in 2007 after changing his name as M. Vineet Kumar. He had also obtained an aadhar card  as well. Through his second wife, CBI sleuths got information that he was in touch with his son out of his first marriage. However, in 2014 he left Salem without any information and reached Bhopal where worked as Loan Recovery Agent and then shifted to Rudrapur in Uttarakhand, where he worked in a School.

When the CBI team reached to trace him at Rudrapur, it was found that he had fled the said place in 2016. With the help of email IDs and Aadhaar details of PO in the name of M. Vineet Kumar, the CBI approached Gmail Law Enforcement Department.

With these details, it was found out that the PO shifted to an Ashram, in Verul village, Aurangabad. It was further revealed that Chalapathi Rao had changed his name as Swamy Vidhitatmanand Teertha and also obtained anotehr Aadhaar Card. However, in December, 2021 he left said Ashram where he had allegedly cheated the Ashram to the tune of Rs. 70 lakh.

Subsequently, he moved to Bharatpur in Rajasthan as Vidhitatmanand Teertha and stayed there till July 8 July, 2024. He thereafter left Bharatpur and reached Tirunelveli to stay with one of his disciples.

During this period, Chalapathi Rao changed contact numbers more than eight to ten times. It was also gathered that he was planning to escape to Sri Lanka by sea route.

The efforts by the CBI to trace him resulted inthe arrest of the accused on August 4 from Narsinganallur village, Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu) where he was hiding.

A well coordinated and calibrated efforts of CBI team resulted in tracing and apprehending the PO who has been on run for almost two decades evading the clutches of Law. He was produced before the Ld. Court of Special Judge for CBI Cases at Hyderabad on 04.08.2024 and has been remanded to Judicial Custody till August 16. Trial in case will commence henceforth.