Vizag Crime Watch - Bid to dupe job aspirants lands seven in jail

If innovation is the catch word in today’s world, then the eight-member gang that was busted by the City Task Force (CTF) team on Tuesday appears to have drawn inspiration from it. The main accused, Pinninti Ramana (29), a native of Vizianagaram and M. Seshagiri Rao of Srikakulam, hatched a plot along with six others to dupe the candidates who took the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examination that was held on October 4.

As per the plan, the duo recruited the six members who included a constable from the APSP, and asked them to tour the districts of Vizianagaram, Srikakkulam and Visakhapatnam and lure gullible SSC aspirants promising them to provide a copy of the question paper a day before the examination.

The condition put was that they have to hand over the original academic certificates in exchange of the question papers and after clearing the examination they would have to pay Rs. 2 to 3 lakh to return the certificates.

The six members lured about 70 aspirants and when they landed in Visakhapatnam on October 3, the gang members took them to an apartment at Marripalem, according to DCP (Zone-I) C.M. Trivikram Varma.

On arrival at the apartment, their certificates were taken and later the aspirants were informed that could not get the question papers. They, however, impressed upon the candidates that they would influence the examiners to get their papers cleared as they were well-connected.

“The idea was to collect the sum of Rs. 2 to 3 lakh from each of the aspirants who had genuinely cleared the examination, as their original certificates were with them,” said the ACP of CTF I. Chittibabu.

Based on credible information and prior knowledge that such a gang was on the prowl, the CTF team, led by Inspector R. Mallikarjuna, raided the premises of the apartment and arrested seven members and seized original certificates.

There was no financial transaction, but the gang was trying to extort money taking advantage of the innocence of the gullible candidates, said Dr. Trivikram Varma.

The arrested were identified as Pinninti Ramana, Kota Sunil Kumar, Appini Kantha Rao, Mugidi Ramu Naidu (APSP), Jaggurothu Karunakar Rao, Piridi Sankar Rao and Srihari. The main accused, Seshagiri Rao, is absconding and the police launched a manhunt.

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