Conman arrested for duping businessman

The accused Kantamaneni Rajendra Prasad contested on Congress ticket in 1985

Hyderabad: A 69-year-old conman was arrested in a joint operation by the Task Force police of Musheerabad and Central Zone on the charges of cheating a businessman to a tune of Rs 15 lakh by posing as a friend of a retired civil servant.

The Musheerabad police received a complaint from one VBG Tilak of Kondapur, stating that he was cheated to a tune of Rs 15 lakh by one Kantamaneni Rajendra Prasad, who assured him of settling a pending issue in the government. The accused told the victim that he was a close friend of B V Papa Rao, Advisor, Policies and Institutional Development.

Central Zone DCP VB Kamalasan Reddy in a press note on Tuesday said that upon a thorough investigation of the complaint, it was revealed that the accused Kantamaneni Rajendra Prasad (69) is a resident of Gandhi Nagar. In 1986, he contested as an MLA from Repalle Constituency from Congress party. The accused, a native of Guntur district, was previously arrested by the police for similar offences.

“The accused was earlier arrested for similar cases. He (Prasad) lures gullible persons who have pending issues in the government and pretends that he has good links with politicians and senior bureaucrats in the State government. Then he collects money by giving them false assurances,” the DCP said.

We appeal public not to fall prey to such conmen who pretend to have good relationships with bureaucrats and politicians and promise to settle the pending issues. People should lodge complaint with the police if they come across someone who was claiming as a mediator, DCP Kamalasan Reddy said in the note.