Visakhapatnam : A four-member gang led by a B.Tech dropout has been arrested here for allegedly duping an MLA and a former legislator in Andhra Pradesh of a total of Rs 25 lakh by making spoof calls using internet, police said Wednesday.

Palasa YSRC MLA Dr Sidiri Appala Raju lost Rs 15 lakh while former TDP legislator Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy Rs 10 lakh, after they received the spoof calls, Commissioner of Police Mahesh Chandra Laddha told reporters here.

Based on complaints from them, the cyber wing police investigated and arrested four persons, including main accused Pandiri Vishnu Murthy, a B.Tech dropout, who had used Voice Over Internet Protocol to make the spoof calls on June 6 and 7.

Narrating the hi-tech modus operandi, Laddha said the four made spoofed calls posing as personal secretaries of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and his predecessor N Chandrababu Naidu and told the victims that the leaders wanted them to give the money.

As directed by the callers, the associates of the MLA and former legislator had delivered the cash. However, they learnt about the fraud after checking with the secretaries, the Commissioner said. Through mobile tracking, the four were arrested, he said adding the accused had made similar calls to several others.

Yelamanchili MLA UV Ramana Murthy and Vizag MP MVV Satyanaranayana too had received such spoof calls, but sensed some thing amiss. The MP tried to trap the accused by sending his men, but they never turned up. The police recovered Rs 5.8 lakh in cash, 28.22 gm of gold and five mobile phones from the accused.

It maybe recollected in December last year a similar case of phone spoofing in the name of , YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's personal secretary- KNR's official cell phone number was compromised by cyber criminals. Misusing his number the cyber criminals resorted to making extortion and threatening calls to senior YSRCP leaders, MLAs, ex MLAs, senior party officials, convenors of different constituencies and other party members in the state.

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Senior YSRCP leaders , Party Joint Secretary A Harshavardhan Reddy and Legal Cell President P Sudhakar Reddy jointly submitted a formal complaint to Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar about this.

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