Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police arrested a 30-year-old private employee for allegedly cheating a city resident of ₹2.3 lakh in an online advertisement scam involving the sale of an embroidery machine.
The accused, identified as Peketi Veerababu, originally from Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, was residing at a hostel near SR Nagar Metro station. He is said to have orchestrated the fraud by posing as a seller on OLX and luring unsuspecting buyers through social media.
According to the police, a 33-year-old man from Hyderabad came across an advertisement for a sewing embroidery machine on OLX priced at ₹2.30 lakh. The victim contacted the seller through social media platforms and was instructed to make the payment via UPI. Trusting the seller, the victim transferred the amount in multiple transactions. Once the money was received, the accused reportedly cut off all contact.
Police said the fraudster used a gaming platform account and several mule bank accounts to receive the money, a tactic commonly employed to avoid detection. After collecting the funds, the accused blocked the victim’s number and went incommunicado. Investigators seized a mobile phone and a debit card from Veerababu.
Victims of online fraud are encouraged to immediately report incidents by dialling 1930 or logging complaints at www.cybercrime.gov.in.
Published – June 28, 2025 10:45 pm IST
