Man posing as CM secy held for extortion bid

Hyderabad: Medchal police on Wednesday arrested a man for allegedly attempting to extort money from a businessman by posing as the personal secretary of chief minister A Revanth Reddy.

The accused, identified as 47-year-old Santosh Gupta, reportedly approached a businessman involved in villa construction as the CM’s secretary. He demanded that five villas be reserved for him.

Police said the total value of the villas was around Rs 25 crore. “Suspicious of the demand, the businessman verified the accused’s claims and discovered that he was an impostor. He then lodged a complaint with the police,” Medchal inspector A Satyanarayana told TOI.

According to police, Santosh Gupta had allegedly used the same modus operandi in the past to extort money from several businessmen, including an educational institution. Investigators said he gathered information about potential victims through social media before threatening or pressuring them for money.

Police added that this is the first time the accused has been arrested.