SRIKAKULAM: A criminal taking police officers for a ride. Identified as Rachapalli Sreenu alias Mangali Sreenu, resident of Vellimaddi village of Ananatapuram district. Posing as a DIG of various ranges , he duped many police officers in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka.

Acting on a tip off, Srikakulam Police on Thursday nabbed the accused at Srikakulam Flyover Bridge on Wednesday evening and produced him before the media on Thursday.The police also seized about Rs 50,000 in cash, one hand bag and a handbook containing the telephone numbers and other details of police officers from his possession.  

Addressing newsmen, Superintendent of Police (SP) RN Ammireddy said the accused duped a teacher and five police officers in Kadapa, Kurnool, Srikakulam, Eluru, Cyberabad and Prakasam districts and Telangana and Bengaluru in Karmataka.

Ammireddy said his modus operandi was simple. He used to call those police officers accused in various cases by using the SIM cards of labourers and street vendors and told them that he could get them reinstated at a price. In this manner, the accused amassed more than Rs 70 lakh in six cases.

The accused’s handbook contained details of 12 other police officers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana whom he was targetting to cheat at the time of his arrest, he said.As many as 18 non bailable warrants have been issued against him by various courts for not attending court.

While in jail at several places, he got well-versed with the police department’s rules and regulations from those officers who were jail with him on various crimes, Ammireddy said.

Prior to graduating into duping police officers from last year, the accused was a chain snatcher. He was accused in 18 chain snatching cases in various police stations in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the SP said.

The accused duped Sub Inspector Ashok Babu of JR Puram PS limits, who is in vacancy reserve (VR), of Rs 4 lakh paid in installments. The accused interacted with the SI posing as the DIG of Visakhapatnam Range. He demanded Rs 4 lakh for revocating the VR.  Upon realising that he was duped, the SI filed a police complaint against the ‘DIG’.Ammireddy awarded cash prizes to those police personnel who arrested the accused.

Modus operandi

• Sreenu duped a teacher and five officers in Kadapa, Kurnool, Srikakulam, Eluru, Prakasam districts, Telangana, Bengaluru  

• He used to call those officers accused in various cases and told them he could get them reinstated at a price

• His handbook contained details of 12 other officers in AP and Telangana whom he was targeting

• 18 non-bailable warrants were issued against him by various courts

• While in jail, he got well-versed with the police rules and regulations