Hyderabad: Police in Tolichowki have captured five people for a scheme that tricked victims and recovered Rs 7.55 lakh. Those arrested include Mohd Bilal, Md Abdul Azam Pervez, Mohd Iqbal, Mohd Jameel Ahmed, and Syed Maaz Hussaini. However, Abdul Shahed, Syed Kaleel Ahmed, Mohd Akhil Ahmed, and Syed Irfan are still on the run.
On July 25, a man named P Sai Prasad Reddy filed a complaint. He claimed he was cheated out of Rs 11,71,000 by a group using a distraction method. He was interested in buying cryptocurrency and connected with Maaz through the Reddit app. Maaz told him that his friend Irfan had USDT (Tether) worth Rs 10 lakh to sell at a low price.
On July 24, Sai Prasad gathered Rs 6,40,000 and met Maaz and Irfan at Paramount Colony. They went to a shop called Air Link in Ahmed Mazil. Inside, four unknown people and a customer were present. One person took the Rs 6,40,000, counted it, and then others took the money. They told Sai Prasad to wait for the USDT to be transferred to his Trust Wallet, but it never happened, making him suspect a delay.
While waiting, two office workers started arguing, distracting Sai Prasad. Meanwhile, the others snatched his cash bag and ran away. Sai Prasad later found out that another customer, Syed Niyamudin, was also tricked using the same method, losing Rs 5,31,000.
