3 held for blackmailing, extorting money from corrupt govt employees in Vizag

Police arrested three people for allegedly blackmailing and extorting money from corrupt government employees having corruption charges against them in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday.

The accused have been identified as V Narayana Rao of Etcherla Mandal of Srikakulam district, G Venkata Suresh Babu and K Mahalakshmi of Kovvuru of West Godavari district, the police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police M Ravindranadh Babu said, "Accused Rao used to collect information, through media, about the persons who were facing departmental inquiries and criminal charges. Later, he used to make phone calls to the employees and demand money for clearing their names from the cases, posing himself as an administrative office or Superintendent of Principal Secretary's office in Amaravati."

Second accused, Babu, got bank accounts open in the name of some single women or widows. Rao used these accounts to receive money from the victims. The money was later withdrawn from the bank accounts of women who were also paid a nominal cut.

Complaints from a government teacher and a city-based Sraddha Hospital, where some irregularities relating to organ transplant were reported, led the police to arrest the three accused.

According to police, Rao called the hospital administration and introduced himself as an administration officer, Medical and Health Principal Secretary, Amaravati and demanded Rs 10 lakh to be transferred to the bank account of the third accused, Mahalakshmi. However, the hospital lodged a complaint at Three Town police station.

The teacher filed a complaint at Dwaraka police station, claiming he paid Rs 30,000 to the gang.

The police said that the gang also committed similar offences across Andhra Pradesh.