Central Crime Station sleuths on Thursday busted a three-member cheat gang that lured gullible persons by offering fake currency thrice the amount of genuine notes and decamped with money by organising a pseudo-police raid.
Shaik Saleem, 29 and Arekanti Kumar, 33, both from Kurnool and Gantepagu Krupakar, 46, of Giddalur in Prakasam district were arrested and Rs. 4 lakh was recovered from them, Kurnool SP A. Ravikrishna told the media here on Thursday.
The SP said the accused were nabbed by Kurnool II Town circle inspector Mulakanna, CCS CI Pavan Kishore following a complaint lodged by M. Raghubabu Naidu of Kurnool. Naidu had cited his financial problems to his acquaintance Saleem and the latter lured him by offering fake currency of Rs. 3 lakh in exchange of genuine currency of Rs. 1 lakh, the SP said.
Saleem gave Naidu two fake notes of Rs. 1,000 denominations which appeared to be genuine and gained his confidence. Subsequently, Naidu and his friend Sasi Kumar met Saleem, Kumar and another person in a dormitory here with Rs. 5 lakh. The gang members showed Naidu a bag stating that it had fake notes.
At this juncture, a person in a khakhi trouser and maroon red shoes with another man in safari suit came there, claiming them to be police. When Naidu fled in panic, the gang decamped with the cash and shared it among themselves, the SP said.
