Sathupalli emerges as hub for major cyber frauds
KHAMMAM: Sathupalli in Khammam district has emerged as a common link in a series of cyber fraud cases involving hundreds of crores of rupees and victims in India and abroad.
Investigations into cases involving alleged fraud running into hundreds of crores have led police to people from the Sathupalli Assembly constituency. In a scam uncovered in January, the alleged masterminds and other accused were from the area, while victims were spread across several countries.
Police initially traced transactions of about ₹ 570 crore in the case. The scale of the alleged fraud subsequently crossed ₹ 1,000 crore during the inquiry, according to the report.
The spotlight has again turned to Sathupalli after Cyber Security Special Investigation Team (SIT) officials arrested Devarapalli Pattabhi of Lingala village in Kalluru mandal in connection with a case registered in Hyderabad.
The Hyderabad case involves allegations that Australian residents were cheated of up to ₹ 100 crore through a call centre.
Call centres form backbone of cross-border cyber fraud operations
Though the accused differ across the cyber fraud cases linked to Sathupalli, investigators have found similarities in the methods allegedly used.
Call centres were set up in Hyderabad and countries such as Cambodia, with employees allegedly tasked with contacting and trapping people overseas. Victims included people from other Indian states as well as countries such as South Africa and Australia.
The alleged fraudsters approached people with offers linked to matrimony, reward points, gaming, betting, stock market investments and cryptocurrency trading. Victims were allegedly added to Telegram groups and induced to transfer money in the name of investments.
Fraudulent links and APK files were also allegedly used to gain access to victims’ bank accounts and siphon off money.
Investigators found that the money was routed through mule accounts belonging to acquaintances before being transferred to current accounts controlled by the accused. It was subsequently allegedly converted into US dollars and cryptocurrency through agents in Cambodia and China.
Checks on the bank accounts used by the accused on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal showed hundreds of cybercrime complaints from several states across India, according to the report.
Police arrested 55 people, including three private bank employees accused of assisting the suspects, in cases registered at Sathupalli Rural and Penuballi police stations.
Accused allegedly spend fraud proceeds on lavish lifestyles
Bank transactions involving key accused Potru Manoj Kalyan, Udatneni Vikas Chowdary, Potru Praveen, Meda Bhanu Prakash, Meda Satish and Morampudi Chennakeshava, among others, crossed ₹ 570 crore in the scam that came to light in January.
In another case, Devarapalli Pattabhi and nine others were booked in November 2025 under FIR 2934/2025 in connection with an alleged ₹ 90-crore cyber fraud.
The case alleged that the accused targeted foreigners, gained their trust through different methods and siphoned off their money.
Pattabhi had allegedly left the country to evade police after the case was registered. He was arrested after recently returning to Hyderabad.
The state government subsequently constituted an SIT to investigate cybercrime cases and transferred cases from different police stations to the team. Pattabhi was identified as a key accused in multiple cases and arrested, according to the report.
The accused allegedly spent proceeds from the scams on private jet travel, luxury cars and large tracts of land purchased in the names of family members and benamis. They allegedly travelled in Range Rovers and Mercedes-Benz cars and hired bouncers while visiting their native places.
The report said money was also spent during sarpanch elections. Pattabhi’s father contested for the sarpanch post in Lingala, and more than ₹ 3 crore was reportedly spent on the election campaign.
Cyber fraud lifestyle draws more people into rackets
Police are also seeing more people enter cyber fraud operations after watching the lifestyles of those allegedly involved in such crimes over the past few years.
In another case in Hyderabad, fraudsters allegedly used a photograph of the managing director of Honor Homes to deceive an employee of the company and siphon off ₹ 4.70 crore.
Police arrested Sathupalli residents Mandapalli Sivanagaraju and Dosapati Krishnasai in that case last month.
Investigators are now looking at whether more people from the region are involved in similar cyber fraud networks.
