The district police on Monday arrested nine of a ten-member extortion gang which allegedly committed several offences on the Telangana-Andhra Pradesh borders and seized a car, a two-wheeler and Rs. 50,000 in cash from their possession. Another accused in the cases, Prasanna Kumar of Tiruvur, is at large.
The arrested included six persons reportedly employed in various print and electronic media organisations, two Agriculture Department employees and a private employee, Nandigama Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) T. Radesh Murali told the media. The accused have been identified as G. Naresh, M. Praveen, M. Chandrashekar, B. Venkata Rama Rao, R. Ramesh and G. Narasimha Rao (all associated with media organisations), two employees – Mohammad Pasha and Shaik Khader – working at agricultural check-post and Naresh, working as a clerk with a lorry owner.
According to police, Naresh and the two check post employees used to pass on information on the movement of vehicles. The remaining used to intercept the vehicles at some point posing as Vigilance and Enforcement (V&E) department sleuths and collect money from them.
“The gang used to demand huge money after verifying the way bills, vehicle permits, licenses and other documents during night hours and settle for some amount from drivers. The gang has collected around Rs. 10 lakh from a lorry owner, Pullaiah, alone in the last one and a half year,” said the DSP.
Traders looted
The arrested, all hailing from Khammam district, committed such offences at Vissannapet, Tiruvur, Sattupalli, Kallur, Nandigama and other places along the borders of Khammam and Krishna districts. They had collected money from kerosene dealers and jaggery merchants too.
Cases have been registered against the accused on the charges of extortion, cheating and others at Nandigama town police station. They were produced before the Nandigama court, Mr. Radesh Murali said.
“We are investigating as to whether the gang was involved in any other crimes. The accused purchased the car and used to move on duplicate registration numbers,” the DSP added.
