The Fourth Town police booked a case against a couple for alleged chit fund fraud on Sunday night.

The couple B. Guna Kamaraju and B. Saikumari, who have been residing in Akkayyapalem area for the last five years, was organising chit fund among locals. Kamaraju who works as a cook in a hotel has good communication skills and utilising this skill he lured many depositors promising high returns.

The chit fund groups were to be given payment on October 3, and about 10 days ago the couple vanished with their two children. It is reported that they collected to the tune of about Rs. 15 lakh.

A few of the depositors who suspected that they would have fled to Rajahmundry, tracked and handed them over to the Fourth Town police on Sunday evening and filed a complaint. The police are investigating the case.

Ganja seized

Excise cops seized 220 kg. of ganja from smugglers at two different locations in Paderu on Monday. During vehicle check, the cops seized 140 kg. of dry ganja neatly packed in bags and arrested three persons.

The arrested were identified as Ramaswami Vijaykumar of Tamil Nadu, Sheikh Anwar and Pangi Prasad, both from Paderu.

According to Excise Inspector L. Upendra, the trio was trying to smuggle the contraband in a Tata Ace van and were caught at a checkpost in Kondamamidi junction under Paderu mandal. “The vehicle in which they were trying to smuggle the ganja was from Tamil Nadu. The smugglers changed the number plate and forged the documents to show it as a vehicle with AP registration,” said Mr. Upendra.

In another raid by the Excise team led by Inspector Upendra, 80 kg. of ganja was seized from a house in Pedakodapalli village in Pedabayalu mandal.

The total ganja seized is estimated to cost Rs. 15 lakh. A case was registered and the trio were booked under Section 20 (B) of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and investigation is on.