Andhra Pradesh CID today arrested four prominent members of the Heavenly International Mission Trust from Chennai for allegedly duping investors to the tune of several crores of rupees by operating fake money-spinning schemes in at least three states.
Thota Srinivasulu, Akiligungta Suvarnaraju, Cherukuro Yesurathnam and Nallagatla Annadarao, who were apprehended
from Chennai, are main members and coordinators of HIM Trust, Additional Director General of Police (CID) S V Ramana Murthy said.
The arrested accused had appointed “agents” to collect money by luring people with handsome returns on their
investments. They were operational not only in Andhra Pradesh but also in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, he said, adding the conmen were on the run since the scam was exposed.
The CID had registered a case against HIM Trust in 2011 under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420
(cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 5 of Andhra Pradesh Protection of Financial Establishment (APPDFE) Act 1999.
40 people, including HIM Trust chairman John Prabhakar, were already arrested for allegedly appointing
agents who collected crores of rupees from unsuspecting investors, Murthy said.
“One of the arrested accused Thota Srinivasulu allegedly cheated people of Rs 120 crore by collecting Rs 221
crore under a money circulation scheme. He collected the amount by appointing agents at Nellore, Warangal, Hyderabad, Vijayawada and at Chennai in Tamilnadu,” the ADG said in the release.
The investigations so far have revealed that four persons arrested from Chennai have purchased properties with
the public money and the CID has seized property documents from them, the release said.
According to CID, the accused have given about Rs 10 crore to one Jayaraj and another Rs 3 crore to Paul
Gladson of Chennai who run “charity” foundations.
The accused will be produced in a local court at Nellore tomorrow, Murthy added.
————————–PTI