Hyderabad Gang Inspired By Netflix Show Money Heist, Involved In Kidnapping & Extortion Busted

Hyderabad Police have busted a kidnapping and extortion gang in the city and arrested four of its members.

According to the police, the gang was busted while investigating a complaint filed by a city-based woman who approached the cops saying on February 6 that her younger son was abducted and money was demanded to release him.

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This was the sixth such case reported in the city recently and in all the incidents the modus operandi was similar.

Modus operandi

They used women to target the victims, and after gaining their trust, they were invited to meet at convenient places.

Once the victim reached the spot, the prime accused along with his hired gang members would kidnap the victim in his car.

To avoid police tracking them after the kidnapping, he used to call the family members of the victim from (victim's) mobile through social messaging apps and demand money and after collecting money he put the victims in fear of death and leave them, police said adding, he along with his gang members were allegedly involved in six such kidnappings.

According to the police 27-year-old Gunjapogu Suresh, was the gang's leader.

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He was reportedly inspired by the professor character in the Netflix series Money Heist.

Suresh, who was a driver assumed the role of the professor and hired five more people, including a woman into the gang.

The other four recruits Rohit, Jagadish, Kunal and Swetha Chary alias Sweety were involved in crimes in the past too.

"Suresh hatched a plan and recruited few persons including women for kidnapping people to earn easy money by threatening their family members," Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand said.

According to the police, all the gang's victims were from Suresh's friendship circle.

Hyderabad City Police

According to the police statement, most of the gang¡¯s victims were women.

The gang was involved in six kidnappings in the city and the ransom they had demanded ranged from Rs 50,000 to Rs 8 lakhs.

Their latest victim was 19-year-old Prashanth from Gudimalkapur. His mother had approached the police after the gang had demanded Rs 50,000 for his release.

The investigation led the cops to the gang and four members were taken into custody. Shweta Chary, one among his gang, lured people is absconding.

They have been booked under Section 364(a) (Kidnapping or abduction for ransom) of the Indian Penal Code.

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