The fraudster promised officials at a Pune-based university that he would help them secure a project from IIT Bombay, according to a police release issued on Wednesday.
The alleged online fraud occurred between July 25 and August 26 this year. During this period, the fraudster, impersonating a professor from IIT Bombay, deceived the university officials into transferring Rs 2.46 crore into various accounts, the police statement said, as reported by PTI.
A cyber crime police team launched an investigation and traced the suspect to Seetaiah Kilaru, 34, a resident of Yapral in Hyderabad, Telangana, police officials confirmed.
“He is the mastermind behind the case and was arrested on September 21,” stated a police spokesperson. “The accused is an electronics and telecommunication engineer from Telangana and holds a PhD from a UK-based university. During the investigation, he revealed that he had cleared the UPSC prelims and mains examinations in 2019-20,” the official added, according to PTI reports.
Following his arrest, Kilaru was produced before the court, which remanded him to police custody until September 28.
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**Interior Decorator in Thane Duped of Rs 97 Lakh in Loan Fraud**
In a separate incident, police registered a case against four individuals accused of cheating an interior decorator of Rs 97.75 lakh under the pretext of arranging a business loan through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds, officials said on Tuesday, reported PTI.
The accused reportedly approached the 45-year-old victim, residing in the Badlapur area of Maharashtra’s Thane district, promising him a business loan of Rs 2.75 crore sourced from CSR funds.
Gaining the victim’s trust, the suspects demanded that he provide a bank guarantee amount. Believing their assurances, the victim paid Rs 99.25 lakh. A Badlapur police official said only Rs 1.5 lakh was later returned, while the remaining Rs 97.75 lakh was allegedly siphoned off without any loan being sanctioned.
The victim filed a complaint with the police on Monday. After initial inquiries, police registered a case against the four accused under relevant legal provisions and said efforts were underway to trace them, the official added.
https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/maharashtra-pune-university-duped-of-rs-2-46-crore-uk-educated-engineer-held-23595717
