Andhra: Bapatla Police bust high-profile cybercrime gang operating nationwide

Bapatla (Andhra Pradesh) [India], August 1 (ANI): In a major breakthrough, Bapatla District Police have successfully cracked a sensational cybercrime case involving a gang operating fake websites across India, an official statement said.
Two accused from Rajasthan were arrested for creating fake websites in the name of prominent tourist and temple destinations and defrauding people.
The gang created a counterfeit website resembling the official site of Haritha Resorts, Suryalanka, operated by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC), and used it to scam tourists, as per the release.
Similarly, they developed fake websites impersonating Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), Srisailam Devasthanam (AP), and Trimbakeshwar Devasthanam (Maharashtra) to deceive devotees, the press release stated.
Multiple cases have also been registered against this gang at the Pahari Police Station and the Juhaira Police Station in Rajasthan.
A total of 127 complaints have been reported across 18 states.
Bapatla Superintendent of police Tushar Dudi said that the Cyber Crime team has dismantled a nationwide fake website racket. In this case, initially the complaint came with respect to a fake website of Haritha Resorts, which is the AP Tourism resort name. Mainly, the Surya Lanka Resort manager gave the complaint. After that, we began the investigation into this case.
We have arrested two people from Rajasthan, namely Ramjit and Bittu, both are natives of the Delhi district. They have made multiple fake websites, not only of Haritha Resorts but of TTD, Tirupati Temple, Sri Sailam Temple, Meera Mahadev Resorts and many such popular destinations all over the country, the official said.
Through the NCRB portal and other channels, we could, as of now, identify 15127 complaints against them in 18 states across the country. Mainly, 49 complaints are related to Haritha Resorts. We are further identifying as we have limited data as of now, official added. "After interrogation of them in police custody, we will be further able to identify the offenses which have been committed by them throughout the country".
Under the leadership of District SP Tushar Dudi, IPS, two special teams were formed: One team included Bapatla Rural Inspector Srinivasa Rao and Reserve Inspector Srikant. Sub-Inspector Nayab Rasool led the other from the IT Core Team.
The gang was found to be creating counterfeit websites for famous tourist destinations and temples. With the help of NCRP and coordination portals, their banking records were traced, revealing 127 cybercrime complaints and frauds amounting to around ₹46 lakhs.
Acting on SP's orders, the team travelled to Sahasan village in Deeg District, Rajasthan, and arrested the accused at 7:30 PM on July 23, 2025. One Oppo F27 Pro 5G mobile phone with dual SIMs was seized from Paranjit.
They were presented before the ACJM-II Court, Kaman, and brought to the Guntur District Jail under transit remand. The accused will be taken into police custody on August 1 and 2 for further interrogation.
SP Tushar Dudi, IPS, urged the public to exercise caution while booking online and avoid clicking on suspicious or fake links. The police department is conducting awareness programs on cybercrimes to educate citizens.
Victims of cyber fraud can report incidents by calling the toll-free number 1930 or by visiting cybercrime.gov.in. SP Tushar Dudi, IPS, honoured and rewarded the investigating officers and cyber team members with appreciation certificates and cash rewards. (ANI)