10 arrested for impersonating police officers and kidnapping a jeweller
A property dispute between two businessmen allegedly led to the kidnapping of a 53-year-old jeweler in Hyderabad, with a 12-member gang posing as policemen, using vehicles with fake registration plates and demanding a whopping ₹15 crore ransom from his family.
The Chikkadpally police, along with the commissioner’s task force, Secunderabad zone, arrested 10 members of the gang and recovered ₹1.07 crore in cash, officials said on Saturday.
The victim, K. Srinivas Rao, a jeweller, was abducted near the Golnaka flyover on October 5 while he was going to his shop in Ramanthapur. The kidnappers blindfolded him, took him to an unknown location and held him captive while they negotiated a ransom with his family.
According to the police, the gang initially demanded ₹15 crore but eventually settled for ₹1.30 crore paid by the victim’s family before being released.
DCP Secunderabad Zone Rakshita Murthy said the conspiracy stemmed from a dispute related to a real estate venture at Hemanagar in Boduppal. The main accused, Dumavath Srikanth, 37, who was involved in the construction business, allegedly harbored a grudge against Srinivas Rao over the venture.
“Srikanth hatched the plan to abduct in August 2026 along with Gunjapogu Suresh alias Surya (31) and Srinivas Reddy, who is currently absconding,” the officer said.
The plan was allegedly to not only recover money but also secure a general power of attorney sale agreement (AGPA) in Srikanth’s name relating to the disputed real estate venture.
“As part of the operation, the gang allegedly impersonated police personnel to nab Srinivas Rao near the Golnak flyover. The accused used vehicles with fake registration plates and changed vehicles repeatedly to evade detection,” the DCP explained.
The kidnapping came to light after Srinivasa Rao’s brother-in-law approached the Chikkadpally police on October 5 and reported that the businessman had gone missing while he was traveling to his shop. During investigation, the victim revealed how the gang forcibly abducted him, blindfolded him and imprisoned him in an undisclosed location until his family arranged a ransom.
After investigation, Chikkadpally police and Secunderabad Zone Task Force identified the gang members and arrested 10 accused.
Apart from Srikanth and Suresh, the arrested persons have been identified as Gudem Sravan Kumar alias Sunny, 19, Bandari Samson alias Lucky, 22, Burani Dhan Singh, 26, Sardar Kuldeep Singh, 27, Bauri Bheem Singh, 29, Heera Singh and Gobin Prasad, Sarkar, 28, 26 and 31.
Police recovered ₹1.07 crore from the ransom of ₹1.30 crore along with gold ornaments weighing around 118.26 grams, nine mobile phones and five vehicles.
The seized vehicles included Mahindra Bolero, Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, Kia Seltos, Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle and Suzuki Access scooter. Investigators said several gang members had prior criminal records.
Srikanth was earlier involved in 16 cheating cases registered at LB Nagar, Medipally, Saroornagar and Vanasthalipuram police stations in connection with alleged fraudulent offers of residential flats. Suresh, meanwhile, has a criminal record involving theft, robbery, extortion and kidnapping for ransom, with cases registered at several police stations, including Sadashivpet, Jeedimetla, Langar Houz, Gachibowli, Asifnagar and Raidurgam.
Samson was also previously involved in five property crimes, including burglary and theft, police said. Two other accused, Srinivas Reddy, a native of Giddalur in Andhra Pradesh, and Vikas, a native of Bihar and a resident of Karnataka, remain absconding. Police are trying to track down the pair and recover the remaining ransom money.
Published – 17 Oct 2026 20:19 IST