Ex Ranji player held for posing as Telangana IT Minister's PA, duping CMD of company

Police here arrested a former Ranji player for Andhra Pradesh for cheating the CMD of a private company, by posing as the personal assistant (PA) of the IT Minister in Telangana, KT Ramarao, according to Avinash Mohanthi, Joint Commissioner of Police CCS, DD, Hyderabad.

The accused has been identified as Budumuru Nagaraju resident of Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh.

The police had received a complaint on January 13, 2020 that the CMD of a company was duped worth Rs 3.3 lakhs by the accused.

On December 26, 2019, Budumuru had contacted the CMD of a private firm over the phone and introduced himself as Tirupati, PA of Kalvakuntla Tarakarama Rao (KTR), Minister of IT, Telangana.

The accused told the CMD that one Nagaraju Budumuru is a cricket player from Andhra Pradesh, who has been selected for the Under 25 World Cup to be held at England, and also for the T20 Sunrisers team.

Further, the accused said that the candidate hails from a poor family and is in need of sponsorship for his cricket kit and for his tour.

The logo of the company will be displayed on the cricket kit and will be handed over to Nagaraju through the Minister in his office.

Believing the words of the caller, the CMD of the private firm transferred the amount to the bank account in the name of Nagaraju which was provided to him over the phone.

It also came to light that the accused used to call many business houses and talk to their owners using the same modus operandi.