Five arrested for impersonating Task Force cops and blackmailing businessmen in Amberpet

Amberpet police have arrested five persons for allegedly impersonating Task Force policemen, kidnapping a shopkeeper, assaulting him and extorting money from him at several places in the city.

The arrested persons have been identified as Manchala Santosh Kumar, 36, Suraya Vamshi Santosh Kumar alias Santhu, 33, Chakali Srikanth alias Chinna Bomma, 24, Etikala Raghuveer, 30, and Bajandri Deva, 34. Another accused, identified as Deepak, is absconding.

The police recovered ₹26,500 in cash, five mobile phones and a motorcycle with registration number TG 08 AE 4881 with an aggregate value of about ₹1.75,000.

According to the police, the case came to light following a complaint by K. Hari Babu, a resident of Kukatpally involved in real estate business. The complainant said that he regularly advertised his real estate and gold business through WhatsApp and Instagram.

On June 10, he received a message from an unknown person expressing interest in buying gold. After their conversation, he was asked to meet at Golnac in Amberpet. When he arrived at the scene on June 11, he was approached by two men who identified themselves as Task Force officers and accused him of being involved in a gold scam.

The duo allegedly took him to the opposite lane near Musi river, assaulted him and forced him to transfer ₹21,000 from his bank account through UPI belonging to Raghuveer.

Police said they were later joined by three other men who also claimed to be members of the Task Force. The complainant was allegedly forced to call the person who initially contacted him. Upon arrival at the scene, the man claimed to be a police officer.

The group allegedly assaulted the complainant, threatened to kill him and took his credit card. He was then taken on a motorbike to a petrol station where transactions worth ₹20,640 were made with the card and his cash was also taken. The accused subsequently took him to a liquor store and allegedly used the credit card again to make a purchase worth ₹3,030. The complainant later managed to escape and contacted the police.

Based on technical evidence, field investigations and other information gathered during the investigation, the Amberpet Crime Squad identified and arrested the accused on 16 June. During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to their involvement in the crime.

Published – 17 Jun 2026 20:25 IST