Four people nabbed by Special Operations Team (SOT) of Malkajgiri Commissionerate for allegedly scamming passport applicants. Those arrested: Shivarathri Siddulu, 35; Thummala Venkatesh,32; Varikuppala Aswin Kumar,33; and Pallepu Deepak,32. Complaint filed at Market police station led to their arrest.
Case began when Shaheen Begum Sulthanaa needed help with her grandson’s passport application. She applied at Regional Passport Office in Secunderabad June 2025. After months of waiting,she checked status in November 2025. Siddulu and crew allegedly approached her there,offering to speed up process for fee .
The group convinced Sulthanaa to pay ₹6,000,promising passport in a day. Claimed they could influence approvals. When she called Siddulu on June 4 for update,he reportedly demanded more cash,threatening to block application if she didn’t pay .
Investigators said accused mainly targeted those with pending applications,preying on their need for quicker processing. After investigation,SOT caught all four. Deepak,as it turns out,had been involved in a cheating case at same station back in 2023.
Case filed under Sections 308, 316(2),and 318 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. More inquiries underway as authorities try to unravel full scope of alleged scam…
