Two arrested in Hyderabad for Chief Minister’s Relief Fund Cheque misappropriation

Hyderabad: Jubilee Hills police have made a significant breakthrough, uncovering a criminal conspiracy that led to the misappropriation of Rs 8,71,000 from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF). Two individuals have been arrested in connection with the fraud, which involved misusing CMRF cheques intended for impoverished beneficiaries.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Jogula Naresh Kumar (42), a kirana store owner, and Balagoni Venkatesh (37), an office subordinate at the MPDO in Nalgonda. Police are actively searching for two other absconding accomplices, including Korlapati Vamshi (24), a car driver. According to the police, the accused conspired to illegally gain from the CMRF amounts, thereby defrauding both the government and the intended poor beneficiaries.

The arrests took place on 14 July, when the Additional Inspector of Police, Jubilee Hills, along with his team, apprehended Naresh and Venkatesh. During interrogation, both voluntarily confessed to their involvement in the offences and were subsequently presented before the Court for judicial remand on 15 July.

Police also revealed that the arrested individuals are implicated in five other criminal cases under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act, all registered at Jubilee Hills police station.

R Madhusudhan, Additional Inspector, Jubilee Hills, explained that the primary accused, Naresh, exploited his access to CMRF cheques while working at a minister’s office. Following the 2023 elections and the change in government, Naresh unlawfully obtained 230 sanctioned but undistributed cheques.

“The accused identified 19 cheques issued to applicants who had not followed up and deposited them into SBI accounts at Road No 05 Jubilee Hills, SBI Branch, using forged details and accounts with similar names,” stated Madhusudhan.