Tragic loss: Telangana farmer dies by suicide due to cyber fraud involving old coins

Tragic loss: Telangana farmer dies by suicide due to cyber fraud involving old coins | Hyderabad News

Farmer dies by suicide after falling victim to cyber fraud involving old coins in Telangana

Fraudsters promised him huge profits. They tricked him into paying various fees.

HYDERABAD: A 30-year-old farmer, Bandenolla Pochireddy from Vikarabad, died by suicide after falling victim to a new form of cyber fraud and being looted.
The fraudsters trapped Pochireddy by promising huge returns for collecting ancient coins for them. When he collected coins in large numbers, they made him pay amounts for various taxes and duties. Reportedly angry about this, he died by suicide.
While the police confirmed that he has transferred Rs 37,000 to the fraudsters so far, his family members suspect that the amount could be higher and demanded a thorough investigation into the matter so that other people do not fall into the trap. Vikarabad police registered a case under section 194 of BNSS and initiated investigation.
According to police, Pochireddy, a resident of Peerampalli village near Vikarabad, first received a WhatsApp message on Tuesday about an opportunity to collect and send old coins, promising huge returns. After collecting coins, when he informed the fraudsters, he later paid Rs 37,000 to them. Though he did not have online banking or UPI payment options, he transferred the amount through someone and even shared the screenshots of the payment with the fraudsters. But when they demanded more, he realized he was trapped and took the extreme step. “He tried to commit suicide at his residence on Friday afternoon and died on Saturday during treatment,” a police official in Vikarabad said.
Meanwhile, Pochireddy’s relatives expressed suspicion that he could have transferred more and came under pressure to transfer more, forcing him to commit suicide. “From the moment his father died in an accident three years ago, he took sole care of his elderly mother and was her pillar of strength. Such a person cannot take his own life for just Rs 37,000. We request the police to dig deep. to look into the matter and prevent many others from falling into the trap,” said Pochireddy’s relative, Shiva Reddy.
The family members have also filed a case with the Vikarabad Cybercrime Department for investigation into the fraud. According to the police, all angles are being investigated.