Man who duped 200 as ‘plasma donor’ arrested in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: A 25-year-old man from AP was arrested for cheating over 200 people, including many from Hyderabad, by promising to donate his plasma and collecting money from them towards transport charges. Task Force police said Sandeep Reddy posed as a plasma donor and duped several people by collecting amounts ranging from Rs 300 to Rs 5,000.
G Chakravarthy, additional DCP, Task Force, said Sandeep saw an opportunity in the pandemic and started cashing in on the nerves of desperate people looking for plasma donors to treat Covid-19 patients in their families. With a surge in demand for plasma and anti-viral drugs, Sandeep started browsing social networking sites to zero in on gulllible people. Once he sees a plea for plasma, he would contact the family and pretend to be a recovered patient.
“Sandeep would then request them to send money for transportation. As soon as the money is transferred, he would go missing. He has also cheated some people in the guise of arranging Tocilizumab 400 mg, a drug used for treating Covid-19,” said Chakravarthy.
The officer said 90% of those who fell for his offer deposited small amounts such as Rs 300. “The accused had even boasted to the kin of a patient that there is less than 1% chance of law catching up with him,” he said.
Sandeep was booked under sections 406, 420 of the IPC and 66 of IT Act at Panjagutta and Banjara Hills police stations. The accused, who hails from Rajam in Srikakulam district, was handed over to Panjagutta police for further action.
Police said Sandeep, a hardware engineer, began committing thefts when he could not find a job. After two thefts, the youth from Ponugutivalasa was nabbed and sent to jail also