Four Arrested for Extorting Railway Contractor by Posing as Naxalites

Hyderabad: The East Zone Task Force, along with the Osmania University Police, has arrested four members of a fake Naxalite gang. These individuals threatened a railway contractor and demanded Rs. 5 crores as ransom. The arrests were made on October 9, 2024, after the police received reliable information about the gang’s activities.

The arrested men have been identified as Prasad Salonka (also known as Pradeep), an interior designer from ECIL, Rathlavath Ravi Naik, an auto driver from Miyapur, Mandugula Sathaiah, a labor worker from Lakshamarao Guda, and Kammari Sheshappa (also known as Raju), a carpenter from Venkammaguda. All four of them are from different areas in Hyderabad and nearby districts.

Prasad Salonka, the leader of the group, moved to Hyderabad 20 years ago and worked as an interior designer. Between 2010 and 2012, he worked with a railway contractor and learned a lot about the contractor’s personal and financial matters. Facing financial difficulties, Prasad decided to extort money from the contractor he once worked for. He gathered a few others, who were also interested in finding hidden treasures, to help him with his plan.

In July 2024, Prasad and his accomplices, including Sathaiah, Sheshappa, and Ravi Naik, pretended to be Naxalites. They used SIM cards registered under fake names and sent threatening WhatsApp messages to the contractor, demanding Rs. 5 crores for his safety.

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The Osmania University Police registered a case and launched an investigation. Using technical analysis, they tracked down the suspects and arrested them. During the operation, the police also seized six mobile phones as evidence.

The arrests were carried out under the supervision of A. Nagarjuna, Inspector of Police, East Zone Task Force, with support from Sub-Inspectors M. Anantha Chary, S. Karunakar Reddy, and P. Nagaraju, along with the Osmania University Police.

This successful operation highlights the hard work of law enforcement agencies in fighting organized crime and keeping the public safe.

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