Fake badges, PhonePe transfers: How gang conned rice trader posing as SOT cops

Four men travelling in a Volkswagen Polo allegedly flagged down the vehicle, identified themselves as SOT officers and threatened the driver, claiming the rice consignment was illegal.

Hyderabad: Meerpet Police have arrested six persons for allegedly impersonating Special Operations Team (SOT) officers and extorting money from a rice trader after intercepting his lorry on the Outer Ring Road in the early hours of Monday, May 18. 

The complainant, Mohammed Afroz, 24, a rice businessman from Balapur, told police that his lorry, which was carrying rice towards Udgir in Maharashtra, was stopped near Patancheru ORR Exit no 3 at around 3:30 am.

Four men travelling in a Volkswagen Polo allegedly flagged down the vehicle, identified themselves as SOT officers and threatened the driver, claiming the rice consignment was illegal. They then demanded Rs 6 lakh from Afroz to let the vehicle go, police said.

After negotiations, the amount was reportedly settled at Rs 1.60 lakh. Afroz initially transferred Rs 80,000 via PhonePe to a number linked to one of the accused, identified as Beeram Shiva Reddy. The gang subsequently pressed for the remaining amount.

Growing suspicious, Afroz verified their credentials and found the men had no connection to the SOT. He traced them to TKR College in Meerpet, where one of the accused identified himself as “Anil” before fleeing the spot, the complainant told police.

Acting on the complaint, Meerpet police arrested six of the seven accused and produced them before a magistrate, who remanded them to judicial custody. A seventh accused, identified only as Anand, remains at large.

Those arrested are Aekka Sandeep Kumar, 26, a resident of Uppuguda, Devara Shetti Girish, 35, of Saroornagar, Beeram Shiva Reddy, 24, of Wanaparthy district; Rakesh Singh, 30, of Uppuguda, Gantala Sai Ram Reddy, 24, of Nagole, and Kakarla Pavan Sai, 24, of Meerpet.

Police seized Rs 80,000 in cash, seven mobile phones and the Polo car used in the crime.

Sandeep Kumar, listed as the first accused, is allegedly linked to multiple prior cases involving cheating and violations of the Essential Commodities Act at various police stations, officials said.