Hyderabad police arrested Bathini Shashikanth, who posed as an IAS/IPS officer for two years. He used fake IDs, hired bodyguards, and used police sirens on his car to dupe and extort large sums of money from innocent citizens.
The Film Nagar Police Station in Hyderabad apprehended an imposter, namely Bathini Shashikanth (39), involved in a series of offences, including duping, extortion, cheating, forgery, and criminal intimidation, according to an official release.
How the Imposter Operated
The accused has been misleading the public for over two years by posing as an IAS Officer in the capacity of Deputy Commissioner and, at times, as an IPS/NIA Officer, thereby duping innocent citizens of a large sum of money.
The investigation revealed that the accused projected himself as a high-ranking public servant by creating and using fake IAS/IPS/NIA identity cards, visiting cards, and forged documents. He hired two bodyguards and weapons from Tamil Nadu to portray himself as a senior government official. Moreover, he fixed police sirens to a private vehicle and also used walkie-talkies to imitate official communication.
Victim Duped of Over Rs 10 Lakh
He circulated a forged TSIIC industrial land allotment letter to cheat victims. Using these methods, the accused gained the trust of the complainant, Ali Hassan, Managing Director of Gold Gym. They collected a total amount of Rs. 10,50,665/- through bank transfers, UPI payments, and cash, under the guise of assisting in procuring industrial land and extending other official favours. After receiving the money, the accused absconded.
Details of the Arrest
The Film Nagar Police conducted a swift operation on Tuesday, acting on credible information, and detained the accused at his temporary residence. The police arrested Bathini Shashikanth (39), a resident of Aparna Aura Apartments, Shaikpet, Hyderabad. The absconding accused persons, Praveen and Vimal, who acted as fake bodyguards, are yet to be arrested.
Police Advisory and Recovered Items
The Hyderabad Police advise citizens to remain alert, not to believe such persons/firms, and to immediately report such suspicious activities to the Police to curb them. The officials recovered 2 Mobile phones, 6 SIM Cards, 2 walkie-talkies, and a Fake ID Card from the accused’s possession.
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