A major cybercrime operation targeting beneficiaries of the Andhra Pradesh government’s Thalliki Vandanam welfare scheme has come to light in Kurnool district, where fraudsters siphoned off government financial assistance directly from the bank accounts of 28 women. Local police have arrested two individuals involved in the racket, who allegedly leveraged their positions as telecom sales executives to illicitly gather identity information, biometric prints, and banking credentials under the guise of distributing SIM cards.
Modus Operandi During SIM Card Distribution
According to police officials, the arrested accused have been identified as Upendra and Veera Reddy, both of whom worked as sales agents for Airtel SIM cards. Taking advantage of public interest in promotional or free SIM offers, the duo targeted women eligible for the state’s financial assistance program. While executing mandatory verification procedures for issuing new SIM connections, the accused allegedly captured customer biometric prints, identity records, and bank account information.
Instead of using the credentials solely for telecommunication activation, the suspects utilized the captured identity files and biometric data to open unauthorized payments bank accounts or compromise existing bank profiles linked to the victims. When the Andhra Pradesh government credited welfare disbursements intended to assist families with educational and household expenses into the beneficiaries’ accounts, the duo intercepted and fraudulently transferred or withdrew the funds without the account holders’ knowledge or consent.
Police Action, Arrests, and Network Scope
The fraud unraveled when multiple women visited their local bank branches to withdraw their expected financial assistance, only to discover that their account balances had been completely emptied. Following formal complaints lodged by the affected beneficiaries, the Kurnool One Town Police registered a criminal case under relevant sections of the law and taken both Upendra and Veera Reddy into custody.
Kurnool One Town Circle Inspector Maruthi Shankar confirmed that investigators are conducting a thorough forensic examination of the suspects’ mobile devices, transaction logs, electronic call records, and linked bank statements. Police are attempting to trace the exact movement of the stolen funds and ascertain whether the arrested suspects operated independently or functioned as localized recruiters for a broader, organized cybercrime syndicate specializing in welfare fraud.
Expert Advisory and Public Safeguards
Commenting on the vulnerability of public welfare programs to identity theft, cybercrime expert and former IPS officer Prof. Triveni Singh warned that biometric data, government identity files, and banking credentials represent highly sensitive personal information. He emphasized that once identity data falls into the hands of cybercriminals, it can easily be exploited to compromise digital banking setups, clone financial accounts, or manipulate government benefit transfer mechanisms.
Kurnool Superintendent of Police (SP) Vikrant Patil urged citizens to remain vigilant when sharing personal credentials with third parties. He strongly advised the public never to hand over identity cards, biometric scans, One-Time Passwords (OTPs), or banking details to unauthorized individuals or unverified sales agents. Officials reiterated that citizens should purchase SIM cards exclusively from authorized telecom outlets and apply for government assistance only through official secretariats or legitimate state portals. Anyone suspecting fraud should immediately notify their banks and log a report via the national cybercrime helpline at 1930.
