Hyderabad: A team of the Bengaluru police investigating into the rice pulling gang case arrived here and arrested the Hyderabad-based key accused Satyanarayana Raju. The investigating officials found that this gang had committed offences in Bengaluru city and collected more than Rs 5 crores from 15 people including a woman in the name of selling machines that help in making easy money by detecting precious iridium metal in rice. The arrest of the gang mastermind, who committed similar offences in Hyderabad also, was made here on Wednesday.
After a person filed a complaint in Baitrayanpura police station in West Bengaluru, the police intervened and took up investigation which led to startling revelations. The Bengaluru police also arrested one Prasad who acted as fake policeman to cheat victims. The police stepped up probe after seizing an ID card with the address of Hyderabad Rahmatnagar as '1996 batch CI'. Then, the accused Siddhartha, Nagurao Kiran, and Bhanudas from Maharashtra were arrested. Their arrest eventually led to the busting of the whole gang.
All of them said that they were working under the orders of mastermind Satyanarayana Raju. During the investigation, the police found that Satyanarayana Raju had made a fake ID card as a police officer in the name of Sudhakar Reddy, and the others had disguised themselves as constables. The Bengaluru police team led by CI Shankar Naik reached Hyderabad on Wednesday morning and nabbed Satyanarayana Raju in the vicinity of Jubilee Hills.
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The modus operandi of the rice pulling gang is surprising. According to the police report, gang leader Raju has been working as a software employee for a firm located in Hyderabad, used to lure people and take them to a secret place with the promise of selling a rice-pulling machine and explaining its function. At the same time, Prasad, disguised as a policeman, would attack his team. Later this gang would arrest them and demand a huge amount of money. If they don't give it, they take off their clothes and shoot a video, threatening to send them to their relatives and friends. This gang has been committing fraud in Bangalore for a year.
Bengaluru police told 'ETV Bharat' that three or four people were tricked by this gang in Hyderabad. They were locked up in lodges and robbed of their money. Police investigation revealed that there was another person named Swami in this gang. The gang members also told Bengaluru police that Swami had contested the last election in Telangana. Police are hunting for him who has been absconding.
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Gangs like this have long been cheating in the name of 'rice pulling' machines. Gullible public are falling victims, believing that their machine detects the most expensive iridium metal and they can earn crores by selling it. To make people believe, these gang members pour rice near the machine they have. The machine attracts the rice towards itself. People who are convinced by this spend lakhs of rupees and buy them. After knowing that it is all a fraud, they turn to the police.
