The North Zone Task Force along with Mahankali police on Wednesday arrested three interstate conmen who posed as DRDO scientists and duped a man of Rs 25 lakh. Manjunath Reddy got the contact of the complainant, Shashikanth, through a common friend and lured him in the guise of ‘rice-pulling business’ by showing the ‘copper vessel’ and made him believe that it has supernatural powers, and with it money doubles, Sudheendra said. This business of selling the copper vessel is executed through a company known as `Appreches and Research,` the DCP said.
Later, Shiva Santhosh met the complainant at Minerva Grand, SD Road, Secunderabad and introduced himself as an employee of the said company. He also disclosed that the quality of the vessel is tested only through a ‘scanner’ for doing business, which is available with DRDO, for which the complainant has to pay Rs 25 lakh, the DCP said. Both accused on June 10 introduced another accused Pratap S.
R. alias Ravinder Prasad and they posed as scientists of DRDO and collected Rs 25 lakh from the victim. The complainant grew suspicious after they demanded another Rs 23 lakh when he approached the police.
The accused along with the seized properties have been handed to Mahankali police and produced before court for judicial remand on Wednesday..