Hackers hacked: TGCSB arrest six
The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) has apprehended six accused in three cases of cyber fraud involving over Rs 16 crore, during an operation conducted in Kerala and Bengaluru.
TGCSB director Shikha Goel said on Tuesday that TGCSB organised a coordinated operation as part of its ongoing investigation into cybercrimes and to apprehend the accused individuals involved.
Two teams were dispatched to Kerala, and one team to Bengaluru. They successfully apprehended six accused, three each in Kerala and Bengaluru.
The accused, including five account holders and one agent, were arrested in three cases, in which victims had together lost over Rs 16.18 crore.
On December 9, 2024, a complaint was received from a senior citizen woman that she was cheated by a group of impersonating officials of TRAI, CBI, RBI and other national agencies. The victim received a call falsely claiming that her Aadhaar-linked phone number was involved in criminal activities.
The call was transferred to persons identifying themselves as CBI officers, who instructed her and her daughters to connect on Skype, remain under 24-hour surveillance and follow strict directions, stating they were “digitally arrested.”
The fraudsters sent fake documents with CBI and RBI logos and claimed her bank accounts required verification. Under continuous pressure, she transferred large sums through RTGS between November 14 and December 3, 2024. She suffered a loss of Rs. 5,66,51,100.
In this case, the TGCSB arrested Renju Pathakku Reji, 30, a resident of Kerala. He had provided his company’s current bank account and credentials to his friend for use as a mule account to receive proceeds of cyber fraud. Subsequently, his friend provided the details to the main fraudsters who are alleged to be operating from other countries.
On January 2, 2026, a complaint was received from a senior citizen who became a victim of digital arrest. He mentioned that on October 27, 2025, he received a WhatsApp call from someone claiming to be from Blue Dart Customer Care, alleging that a parcel linked to him contained illegal items. He reported that another caller, posing as a Bombay Police officer, accused him of involvement in serious offences and instructed him to keep the matter confidential while forcing him to share financial details.
He was pressured to transfer money. He suffered a total loss of Rs. 7,12,80,000. A letter demanding more money made him suspicious, prompting him to file a complaint with the NCRP.
In this case, Arun Sreenivas, 41, and Sanal V Menon, 48, both from Kerala, were arrested. They had provided their bank account details to cyber fraudsters for a commission.
The third case relates to online trading fraud allegedly committed by Nadir Verma and his associates, who had posed as genuine traders connected to the ORBM trading platform.
The complainant reported that he initially invested Rs 1 lakh on December 2, 2025, after which his account showed a small profit, and he was then persuaded to invest a much larger amount. He stated that under continuous pressure, he ultimately invested Rs.3,40,96,958 over 22 days.
When he attempted to withdraw his funds, he was asked to deposit additional money, which raised doubts about the legitimacy of their demands. He added that he filed a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
In this case, TGCSB arrested V. Jayaprakash, 41, Balaraju, 51, both directors of ZIP Cleaning Services Pvt. Ltd. Bengaluru and Harish G, 55, also a resident of Bengaluru.
Jayaprakash and Balaraju conspired with Harish to commit the offence with an intention to unlawfully gain financial benefits by misuse of company accounts, banking instruments and electronic devices. They provided the account details to a person living in Pune and facilitated the transactions by providing the account-linked mobile phone to the main fraudsters.
Efforts are being continued to trace and apprehend the absconding accused, said TGCSB director.
