Conman who duped people as sub-collector exposed by victim in AP

GANNAVARAM: An imposter, who duped many posing as a sub-collector, was exposed by a woman in Gannavaram of Andhra Pradesh on Friday. Posing as a sub-collector, the conman reportedly collected close to Rs 80 lakhs from several victims.

According to reports, the alleged conman identified as Pilla Venkata Rajendra, earlier worked as a contract worker in the CRDA before being dismissed on charges of corruption and irregularities at work. As he became accustomed to a lavish life, Rajendra eventually turned into a fraudster.

The woman, one of his victims, apprehended him and demanded her money back. After his fraud act was exposed, the accused threatened the woman, claiming that he knew many police officers. He even told the woman that, despite filing charges, he is confident she would not be able to get him arrested.

Narrating how the man cheated her in the first place, the woman claims that the fraudster convinced her that he was a sub-collector, using fake identification cards during one of her visits to Tirumala. He then promised to get her a government contract and extracted Rs 9 lakh from her. The woman, who handed over the suspect to Gannavaram police, expressed concern for the innocent people who had been duped by Venkata Rajendra.

According to reports, there were close to 14 cases already registered against Rajendra in the past for similar frauds. It was discovered that his phone contact list included the numbers of many police officers.