Khammam Police Detain Vikas Choudhary in ₹547 Crore Cyber Fraud
KHAMMAM: Police have detained Udatneni Vikas Choudhary, the prime accused in a ₹547 crore cyber fraud case that created a stir in Telangana.
Two months after the case was registered, VM Banjar police took him into custody and began questioning.
Investigators said a group from the Sathupalli Assembly constituency allegedly set up call centres in Cambodia and Hyderabad in association with international fraudsters. The network targeted victims through matrimonial offers, reward points, gaming, betting, stock market investments and crypto trading schemes.
Twenty arrested so far, more suspects absconding
Police had earlier arrested key accused Potru Praveen in December 2024. On January 11, 2026, they arrested 18 others and sent them to remand.
Search operations were launched in Sathupalli, Khammam and Hyderabad to trace Choudhary. His attempts to secure anticipatory bail reportedly failed.
With his detention, the total number of arrests in the case has reached 20. Police suspect the involvement of over 10 more persons. Meda Bhanupriya, wife of Potru Manoj Kalyan, and her relative Meda Satish are absconding.
Scam surfaced after youth filed complaint
The fraud came to light after Modugu Sai Kiran, a resident of Thumburu in Sathupalli mandal, filed a complaint on December 24, 2024.
Police said Manoj Kalyan, Praveen, Vikas Choudhary and Morampudi Chennakesava had promised him a job in 2022 and persuaded him to open bank accounts. They allegedly retained online banking details and used the accounts for unauthorised transactions.
During investigation, police found that several youths from Sathupalli were similarly induced to open accounts. The accused reportedly paid ₹3,000 to ₹5,000 for each savings account and up to ₹10,000 for current accounts.
Authorities traced transactions worth ₹547 crore through the main accused’s bank accounts. Officials suspect the total fraud value could exceed ₹1,000 crore.
